9th Doctor - The Survivor
The Moment of Creation had passed and left the universe altered forever.
It had come as a surprise to the early Time Lords to find that there were not one but two Big Bangs; the second overwriting the first only a tiny fraction of a second later. “How can our universe exist if it was destroyed at its own birth?” they had asked. It had not taken long for them to work out the answer and, utilising power on such scale as to make a super nova appear like a mere spark, they locked the second Big Bang away for later investigation. The event became known as ‘The Moment of Creation’ or later still just ‘The Moment’. The knowledge that they alone had saved the entire multiverse in its infancy had resulted in the racial superiority complex which had led to such problems later.
Now The Moment had been carefully released, and instead of destroying the universe, it had instead left it... altered. Two major species locked together in temporal war, fighting at every moment in space and time, battles being fought and refought again until cause and effect broke down leaving only chaos - and suddenly both had never existed, their timeline excised from existence. The universe convulsed, but like a patent who had a cancer cut from them, it would survive, if changed.
Likewise, the individual who had released The Moment had been changed. He had not been left untouched by the changes he had wrought. Although the physical wounds had been dire, they would have been survivable... but he had chosen to change rather than remain in the form which had carried out the universal surgery. The old form he could no longer consider part of himself, that could no longer be called the Doctor. For a moment, as the change passed through him, he considered just letting go, letting the long delayed death finally claim him. But no, he couldn’t allow such an end; with the rest of his people gone, the protection of time fell on his shoulders alone.
As the forces of change passed through him, the Doctor sat alone in the dark in a quiet corner of his TARDIS. Like him, the ship had been ravaged by the forces he had released; it was a burnt husk of its old self. Like him, his oldest friend was now also the last of her kind; she had not asked for this fate, she had always been faithful to him - and look how he had repaid her. He had ripped her heart from her; the eye no longer shone within her. She limped on using reserve power for the moment but that would not last long. Another solution would be needed, but that problem could be delayed for the moment. Around him the TARDIS’s wounds started to heal as coral shards slowly grew through the shattered walls.
For a moment, the Doctor considered looking for a mirror to see the new face of the creature that had caused the greatest genocide in universal history. The creature he was not sure if he could call the Doctor again. Then he decided against it - he did not want to meet himself until he decided what he could do with himself, what he could call himself. He glanced around the slowly transforming room and he gaze fell on a pile of equipment, built in haste and then slowly improved over the centuries: the transmogrifier.
Equestria. He could go to Equestria. In this transformed universe the horrors his hated self had released upon it would not have occurred. A clean slate. Like he himself was a clean slate, a new start. That world seemed smaller, simpler, its problems more black and white. Maybe by continuing to protect it he could find a reason to continue.
Staggering to his new legs, he tottered towards the slowly growing control console and set course.
The Doctor stepped from the TARDIS and looked around. His craft appeared to have landed in a lightly wooded area; from the sound of it a fairly major river was not too far away.
He looked back at his craft. Its exterior was broken and battered like the interior but it was still reassuringly solid and blue. He looked down at his own form. His coat was a dark brown and judging by his tail his hair was black. He quickly felt his head; his mane was cut short and there was no sign of a horn. Neither could he feel wings, so he must be an earth pony. His ears felt a little large, but there was no helping that. He had decided to go naked into Equestria for this visit, since he had not had time to choose an outfit - and from what he had seen on his previous visits, this would not be breaking any taboos.
Sighing, he unhooked the tracker from its belt around his waist and swung it around. From the readings, it appeared that the shard was a few miles away. It looked like he would just be able to walk up to whatever it was and take it this time, since there was no sign of any pony around. The Doctor was not sure how he felt about that - he both wanted to be left alone and was desperate for someone to talk to, to explain what had happened, what he had done. Something niggled him about this place. It didn’t feel quite right, there was a tension in the air like a storm waiting to break.
His enlarged ears suddenly twitched and swivelled. He thought he could make out the sound of voices over the sound of the water. Maybe he would get company after all.
Stealthy moving from tree to tree, the Doctor made his way towards the sounds. He soon caught sight of the source; a ragged column of ponies were making their way through the woods following the river. At least he thought they were ponies. Most were largely equine but many seemed to have random body parts from other animals. Each was unique - where one had the stumpy grey legs of a rhino or elephant, another had a peacock’s tail and a third goat’s horns. Maybe they were some other breed of pony he hadn’t met before?
They all looked exhausted and many were injured. Several pulled wagons but most seemed to have no possessions. A few family groups could be made out, but most seemed to be by themselves. In total there might be as many as a hundred creatures in the company.
Intrigued by the sight, the Doctor started to move closer to get a better look. Suddenly he heard a buzzing sound from above him. He looked up to see a pony with a double pair of insect wings, like a fly, dropping out of the sky towards him. A long spear rested in the crook of its forelegs. With a cry, the creature lunged forward and tried to impale the Doctor on its weapon.
Leaping aside, the Doctor dodged the weapon as it stuck into the ground where he had been standing. With a snarl, the flying pony ripped the weapon out of the dirt and once again thrust at the Doctor, who only just danced back out of reach. “Well, this is typical,” he muttered. “I’ve only been here a few minutes and someone’s already trying to kill me. It makes me kind of nostalgic.” His voice sounded odd to him; he seemed to have picked up an accent in this incarnation.
“Can we talk about this?” the Doctor asked his assailant, dodging a further blow.
His attacker did not seem to be in a talkative mood and swung the spear like a staff, catching the Doctor on the legs and knocking him to the ground. He attempted to rise but was stopped by the spear now at his throat.
“Thunder!” came a cry from behind the Doctor. “What’s going on?”
“I found a spy, I’m dealing with him,” replied the insectile pony.
“A spy? What do you mean?” A second pony walked into view. He was a stallion with rear legs made of what looked like living wood.
“I caught him sneaking up on the caravan, Apple. He was going to bring the whole guard down on us.” He raised spear to strike again.
“How do you know he’s a spy? He could be from that village we went round an hour ago, Oat Town or whatever it’s called.”
“Maybe,” said the armed pony, sounding unsure of himself. “But he’s still seen us.”
“And you think we should kill him for that? What kind of freedom is that?”
“If I could speak?” asked the Doctor.
“Quiet you,” commanded Thunder.
“Just let him go,” suggested Apple.
“No, Dice will want to know about him, it was his idea to come this way.”
“Fine, but I still say we should just let him go.”
“We’ll you’re not the boss here,” sneered the flying pony, gesturing for the Doctor to stand.
“Neither is Card, no pony is. Isn’t that the point of us all?”
Together, the three of them headed off towards the trailing line of ponies.
By the time they reached the convoy, it had stopped and was starting to make camp. A number of tents of varying sizes were being set, and one or two ponies were even using their powers to form shelters from stone or wood. There was an aura of tension over the camp; many of the inhabitants were looking out as if awaiting an attack and several were openly carrying weapons. Most stared as the Doctor was led past.
The small group wound their way towards a tent near the centre of the camp. It was smaller than average but very colourful, and looked like a big top created out of whatever scrap of fabric could be found. Several ponies stood outside, arguing.
“I say we should move on now, the guard could catch up with us at any moment,” said a large blue mare with the head of a duck.
“We need to rest. Most of us are too tired to carry on for much longer,” said another.
“We agreed to wait for Beauty’s group here. If we move on they may never catch up with them,” said a pink maned stallion wearing a tall top hat. His front feet were those of a lion and his rear those of a goat. His tail was that of a snake.
“Look, Dice. You know Celestia herself attacked Beauty’s forces. There ain’t any of them left alive now, and that’s gonna be our fate to unless we move on now.”
“I will not abandon hope that my daughter survived until I see the evidence myself,” shouted the top hat wearing pony, stamping his paws on the ground.
“Why don’t we split up?” asked yet another pony. “Some of us stay here and wait for survivors while the rest go to ground?”
“Then we can be picked off one by one,” said the duck-headed mare. “There is strength in numbers.”
“I don’t know why I’m even here,” said another apparently normal-looking pony. “It’s you Discordians she hates. It’s not even my fight.”
“You were happy enough to aid in the uprising when it looked like we might win, but now that we’re losing you want to run. It’s not like she’d show you any mercy - she hates you almost as much as us.”
The stallion held up a paw for silence. After a few moments murmuring the rest of the crowd settled down. “Straw was right, we do need to rest before we can go any further. I say we wait until tomorrow and then decide what to do from then on.”
The mumbling continued, but after a few minutes it seemed like the proposal had been accepted by the majority of the camp, and the various mares and stallions started to drift away.
Thunder pushed the Doctor forward towards the pony with the top hat. “I’ve found a spy, Dice Roller.”
“A spy?” asked Dice. “Where was he?”
Before Thunder could answer, Apple butted in. “He’s probably just a local, not a threat to us at all.”
“Even if he is, he could still bring the guard down on us,” countered Thunder.
The Doctor sighed. At least this was a familiar situation. “Look, I don’t know anything about you ponies. I’ve no reason to wish you harm.”
All three ponies stared at him. “You don’t know anything about us? Who are you? Even in this corner of nowhere, Celestia must have spread word of the depravities of the Discordians,” said Dice, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“I’m not using my name at the moment... I’m not sure if I can live up to it right now,” said the Doctor, brushing off the questions. “Discordians? Sorry, never heard of you. I’m not from these parts.”
“Where are you from then?”
“Oh, a bit farther away than you expect.”
“Since Celestia started her purges, she’s made sure the whole kingdom know to look out for us.”
“Sorry, I’m from outside Equestria. I really don’t have time to get involved in your little problems. Always so provincial, you ponies.”
Dice stared at him for a moment. “I think you will find that our problems are currently your problems. But, very well, we are the Discordians, the bringers of chaos, Scions of the Mad God and so on and so forth, blah, blah, blah.” He bowed theatrically. “For many centuries we have lived among the pony population, ensuring nature continues on course and that there is the right amount of chaos to grease the wheels of reality. Normally we were below the notice of the rulers of the land, but one of our number - Curveball - decided to deal with the worst fault in the system, the princesses themselves. Unnatural creatures they are, what else lives forever and does not even change? His attempt was not successful, but unfortunately it did result in quite a bit of collateral damage and caused Celestia’s eye to fall on us. She decided to turn her attention to removing us; her Lightning Bolts scoured each town and village for us and ‘removed’ those they found.” A tear rolled down his face but he continued apparently without noticing. “Many of us decided that enough was enough and we rose up against the tyrant. However, it is not in our nature to act together, and things have gone badly. We have been forced to retreat for the moment but her forces pursue us. We need to join up with other survivors and make a stand.”
“I still say we should disperse and find places to hide. She can’t search every hamlet in Equestria,” said Apple.
“I am fully aware of your opinion, Mr Pie. And like all the ponies here you are free to leave if you want and suffer the consequences.”
Apple looked down at his hooves, seemingly unsure.
“Ah, that’s good. I’ll be off now then,” said the Doctor as he started to wander off. Thunder’s spear stopped him.
“Not you,” said Dice with a grin. “You get to stay here until we can decide what to do with you. Even if you don’t work for the guard you could still tell them of us.”
“Look can’t you just talk to Princess Luna about your problems rather than this Celestia? She’s generally seemed reasonable to me.” The Doctor tried not to think about the time she had threatened to have him killed.
“Luna?” said Dice with a barking laugh. “Luna’s dead! Or she might as well be, nopony’s seen her at a public event in years. They say she spends all her time in her rooms. She doesn’t care about us or anypony else.”
“So either the Time War changed the time line here or I’ve arrived much earlier or later than previously,” mumbled the Doctor.
“What was that?” asked Thunder.
“Nothing, just talking to myself, it’s the only way to get a good conversation most of the time.”
Dice scowled. “Take him away and tie him up. We can talk to the others about what to do with him tomorrow,” he commanded.
Thunder took the Doctor to another tent, larger than Dice’s but not as colourful. After binding all four of his prisoner’s legs together, Thunder threw him in a corner and seemed to freeze into place at the tent’s entrance, becoming as still as a stone. The Doctor tried to start up a conversation, but he found himself being totally ignored by his jailer. The Doctor looked around the tent for something he could use to cut his bonds, but saw nothing useful.
Outside, the sun started to set and darkness began to spread over the camp.
The silence was broken by a small voice from the ground. “Mr Storm?” The doctor turned over to see a pink coated unicorn filly with two trays of food on her back.
To the Doctor’s surprise, the gruff guard leaned over and spoke softly to the child. “Hi Peachie, what brings you over here? Did Apple send you?”
“Daddy made some food for you and the prisoner.” She concentrated and an orange aura surrounded one of the trays and she passed it to Thunder.
“Thanks, kid,” said the stallion, taking the tray. “Your magic’s getting better.”
The child moved over to the Doctor and floated another tray in front of him. With his legs still bound, the Doctor was forced to stretch his neck to reach the food on it.
“Do you want to see a trick?” asked the child, as he struggled to pull a piece of apple towards his mouth with his tongue.
“Sure,” said the Doctor. He glanced up at his guard, who smiled indulgently.
The filly held her breath and squeezed her eyes closed. A whirlwind formed around her disturbing a few loose items in the tent, then suddenly her neck stretched up like a giraffe’s, so she towered over the Doctor. “Ta da!” she gasped.
“Fantastic!” exclaimed the Doctor with a grin.
Peach tried to bow but ended up staggering forwards, unbalanced by her increased height. Thunder rushed to catch her before she fell. “I think that’s enough showing off for today,” he said. Peach nodded, almost falling over again, and her neck shrunk back to its normal size. Rolling her head a few times to make sure her neck still worked, the child wandered away into the camp.
“Nice kid,” commented the Doctor. “You’re good with her.”
“Yeah,” muttered Thunder, smiling. “Did your mistress tell you that we’re all foal-eating monsters? I’ve got a daughter... had a daughter.” His face fell.
“I’m sorry, I did...”
“Don’t be,” said his captor with finality. “Just keep quiet.”
The Doctor and Thunder spent several more hours in silence. The guard remained frozen in place at the entrance to the tent. To the Doctors surprise, the insect like pony eventually began to snore, apparently having fallen asleep while remaining on his hooves with his eyes open.
Taking advantage of the situation, the Doctor began to try to wiggle his way across the ground towards another part of the tent, hoping that it contained something he could use to break his bonds.
Suddenly he heard movement outside and froze in place, hoping that no-one had witnessed his attempt at escape. Through half closed eyes he saw a pony approach the entrance to the tent and wave a hoof in front of Thunder’s eyes, eliciting no response from the sleeping pony. The figure then carefully stepped forwards into the tent itself.
At the closer range the Doctor could make out the figure of Apple Pie.
The Discordian lifted a hoof to his lips to signal for silence. He closed his eyes for a second in concentration and the Doctor felt his bonds weaken. Pulling hard he felt the rope break, and upon examination found that they appeared to have rotted away to uselessness. He got to his hooves and had to bite his tongue to stop himself crying out, as pins and needles ran through all four legs. Apple helped him remain standing and the two of them creeped out of the tent.
Once they were a far enough away from the tent, Apple whispered to the Doctor, “You need to get out of here now, before the others decide to do something to you.”
“How do you know I’m not going to bring the guard down on you?” the Doctor replied.
“I guess I don’t, but I’m just more trusting than the others. I don’t think we should imprison anyone in the name of freedom.” He sighed and looked down. “Dice and the others didn’t used to be like this. Dice used to be a children’s entertainer for Celestia’s sake! But they’ve lost a lot and there’s something about this place... it doesn’t feel right. It wasn’t supposed to come to this. We were just going to show Celestia she couldn’t push us around, keep our children safe, not start a war. A war we’re losing.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do to help you,” the Doctor said. “But thanks for rescuing me anyway.” He took out the tracker again and swung it around. The buzzing sound was very loud in the otherwise silent night.
Apple flinched and looked around furtively to see if anyone had been alerted by the noise. “Quiet!” he hissed.
“Sorry, but what I came for is not too far that way.” He pointed towards a rocky area not too far from the camp.
“What you came for?” Apple tensed up. “What are you here for?”
“Nothing that will harm you or your people,” said the Doctor, making conciliatory gestures. “I’m searching for something which will protect the whole of your world from destruction.”
“What?” asked Apple in disbelief. The Doctor had already started to stride off and he had to trot to catch up with him.
“Try to keep up. Now that’s interesting.” The Doctor pointed ahead at a figure that could only just be made out in the darkness - a figure with a top hat.
“Dice? Where’s he going?”
“The same way as me, it seems. Let’s find out what he’s doing, shall we.” said the Doctor with a raised eyebrow.
The duo followed Dice Roller for about half a mile into the rocks bordering the camp. He didn’t seem to be making any attempt to hide himself and eventually disappeared into a cave.
Apple was about to follow the other Discordian when the Doctor stopped him. “Do you hear something?” he asked.
Apple cocked his head for a second. “No,” he replied.
“Odd, it sounds sort of like static to me... it’s faint but it’s very annoying. I wonder what’s causing it?”
The two of them headed into the cave, it started off small but quickly opened out into a chamber big enough to contain several dozen ponies. The walls were covered in writing.
“Do you recognise that?” whispered the Doctor.
“No,” replied Apple equally quietly.
“Me neither, which is worrying. Still, different universe, different rules. Or maybe the poor girl is in worse shape than I thought,” he mumbled.
At the opposite side of the chamber, Dice was apparently examining something on the floor. It seemed to be a dagger formed from some type of bone.
With a deep breath, the mismatched pony clapped his front paws together and a blue glow started to illuminate the room. As the light grew brighter and brighter Dice’s form started to shimmer and warp; he spouted long bat-like wings, his body stretched like a ferret, and his rear legs retracted and became the tail of a whale. The changes became more and more frantic, as he sprouted a dozen insect-like legs which then retracted again and were replaced by tree trunks. His neck stretched out and then retracted again. He sprouted spikes, then feathers, then scales.
The Doctor and Apple watched with horror as a faint blue shape started to form in front of the rapidly mutating pony. It stretched out into a serpentine shape before sprouting four mismatched legs, two wings - one feathered and one scaly - and finally two horns. It towered over the flashing shape that was all that remained of Dice.
“Relax, my child,” the vision said in a surprisingly gentle voice. “You’ll lose yourself.”
“Discord!” gasped Apple.
“Who?” hissed the Doctor.
“The god of chaos, our creator.”
“The black guardian?” mused the Doctor to himself.
Dice’s shape flicked then stabilized in his original form before he collapsed to the ground panting hard. “Sire!” he gasped.
“Not entirely,” replied the creature. “I am only a fragment of a fragment of myself awakened by your spark. However, even so reduced, my powers are still great.” It leaned forward. “How did you know about this place?”
“Chaos brought me here, I won a book about this place in a game of chance a long time ago. It told of a shrine to a great power buried here. I knew it had to be you, my lord.”
“Very good. Who else could it have been?” the creature smirked a little. “But why have you summoned me?”
“The princess, Celestia. She’s killing us, your children. She killed my children.” There was a sob in the stallion’s voice. “I didn’t want this, I was happy making children laugh. Then they found out what I was, they took my son, I never saw him again, it wasn’t right. Now she’s probably killed my daughter too, it’s not right, I will make it right.” He looked up, eyes fever bright.
The phantom creature leaned back and looked thoughtful. “Yes, I have felt my seeds going out one by one. However, in this reduced form I am no match for the Sun Bringer. However, each fragment of myself contains a link to all others. With enough power I can revive my whole self and then we can both get our revenge on Celestia.”
“What can I do to help you?” asked Dice, bowing low.
“Oh, such a small price.” The creature drew closer to Dice, almost crooning in his ear. The Doctor grimaced as the background hiss in his head grew louder. “One you and your kind have paid so often recently. I need change, the change of the living to the dead, here in my special place. How about starting with them?” The chimera pointed at Apple and the Doctor who were suddenly highlighted by a blue glow.
Dice blinked, “Apple? What are you doing here? Why is he with you?”
“One is a spy, sure to bring the guard or the princess herself down on you. He hasn’t even told you his name,” hissed the phantom. “The other, well... he’s never been one of you, has he? While your children died for the cause, his is safe and healthy. Why is that, I wonder?”
“Traitor!” snarled Dice, snatching up the dagger from the floor in his paw and advancing towards the other ponies. “It was you! You set us up!”
“What?” exclaimed Apple in surprise. “How can you say that?” His face darkened. “It’s like you want Peach to die. Would that satisfy you? I won’t let you do anything to her!”
The image of Discord sat back and grinned as Dice leapt at the other ponies, dagger raised. Reacting quickly, the Doctor swung the tracker to block the blow. There was a flash of light and both were knocked to the ground. A shard of the universal barrier dropped to the ground where the blade had been. “Glad I got that right,” said the Doctor, grabbing the crystal from the ground and scrabbling to his hooves. “Come on, Apple, we better get out of here.”
“But he said...” growled Apple, advancing on Dice’s helpless form and shrugging the Doctor away.
“He didn’t say anything. That thing,” he pointed at the towering transparent creature, “is manipulating both of you. We need to get back to your camp.”
Shaking himself, Apple turned and ran from the cavern along with the Doctor.
Dice slowly picked himself up and blinked until his eyes refocused. “After them,” urged the chimera. “Who knows what lies they will tell about you? They’ll turn your people against you, make you seem to be the bad guy.” The top hat wearing pony began to gallop after the Apple and the Doctor.
“There’s a good pawn, in the perfect position to be sacrificed,” whispered the vision as Dice ran off. It remained in place for a few seconds before blinking off, its job completed for the moment.
The two fleeing ponies staggered through the rough terrain separating them from the Discordian’s camp. “That sound’s gotten louder,” said the Doctor through gritted teeth.
“What sound?” asked Apple. “I still can’t hear anything. We have to get back to the camp to warn them about Dice.”
“What was that creature back there?”
“It looked... it looked like the paintings of Discord.”
“Discord?”
“The spirit of chaos, our progenitor. He ruled Equestria long ago until he was defeated by the Princesses. We Discordians each contain a fragment of his power, a spark of chaos. But I never thought he’d help us. There was never any record of him caring for his children.”
“Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe that wasn’t him.”
A bolt of light flared over the Doctor’s head and he looked back to see Dice Roller chasing after them, hurling blasts of magic at them. Redoubling their pace to avoid the crazed Discordian, the Doctor and Apple rushed into the camp. Around them, newly awakened ponies looked up blearily.
“Dice has gone crazy!” yelled Apple. “He tried to kill us!”
The crowd that had gathered around them looked about in shock and all started talking at once. Some trying to defend Dice, others decrying him.
“Friends,” boomed Dice’s voice as he arrived in the camp. “Do not believe these traitors! I have found a source of power great enough to rival that of the Princesses themselves! With this we can get revenge for all of our losses!”
At his words the camp was thrown even further into chaos, as every pony present demanded to know what was going on and voiced their own opinion on this declaration. Apple was jostled this way and that, and the camp’s population ran here and there. He saw Peach leave their tent and run towards him when a white unicorn in armour appeared from behind a tree and grabbed the struggling foal in its aura. “No!” he gasped.
From all around the camp, armoured figures appeared from concealment. Pegasi took to the sky.
“It’s the guard!” shouted Apple at the top of his voice.
At once all the yelling stopped and the Discordians turned to their new enemies. For a second it was quiet as the two forces faced each other. Then Peach, squirming in her captor’s magical grasp, cried out, “Let go of me!”
Almost without thinking, Apple’s legs started him charging towards the soldier holding his daughter, but another was quicker. Thunder swooped down from the sky, spear outstretched, and dived towards the unicorn. The white pony leapt aside to avoid the weapon but Thunder twisted it and caught his enemy with a blow to the flank, opening a deep cut. With a cry the guard’s aura gave out. Peach fell to the ground before running towards her father who took her in his hooves.
Two pegasi swooped down from the sky and forced the insect-like Discordian from the air. With a shrug, Thunder threw one of them back. The guard crashed into a tree and landed in a broken mass at its roots. An armoured earth pony charged forward into Thunder, impaling him on a lance. The Discordian staggered back and looked down in surprise at the wooden weapon protruding from his chest. A look of shock passed over his face and he opened his mouth to speak, before dropping to the ground in a growing pool of blood.
For a moment both sides were silent staring at what had just occurred. Then with a cry one of the Discordians charged forward into a nearby mob of guards. This catalysed the two forces and they threw themselves at each other.
“Wait!” the Doctor cried, but he was forced to his knees as the buzzing sound became deafening. He looked around through watering eyes. To one side, a guard was hacking at his enemy with a sword; to the other, a Discordian with an elephant trunk was using it to throw rocks at a passing pegasus. All seemed too caught up in blood lust to listen to reason.
Suddenly it was as if the sun had risen in the middle of the night as a blazing figure dropped from the sky. “ENOUGH!” it thundered.
“Oh no,” gasped Apple looking up, trying to cover his daughter. “Celestia!”
The light resolved itself into the form of a great mare twice the height of any other present, her pure white wings spread wide she descended gracefully to the ground. Her transparent multi-hued main waved in an illusionary breeze. An aura of fire played around her long pearly horn. “ENOUGH OF THIS,” she commanded as she touched the ground.
All fighting halted at her presence and the Princess of the dawn looked at the figures around her. Her ears twitched and she grimaced. “Discordians,” she growled, “Your very presence corrupts this land. I can sense the evil you bring. However, the light of my sun shall purify Equestria. Surrender now or I shall be forced to destroy you all.”
Dice stepped forwards from among the cowering Discordians. He looked up into the face of the Alicorn, apparently without fear. “You are not the sun, your majesty,” he spat. “Maybe once you were, but you are hollow, only a shell of what you once were. You are only the sun’s corona, and a bloody hoofed tyrant.” He turned to the guards around him who had frozen in place, awaiting orders, almost like statues. “Today she does this to us, but what of tomorrow? Will she decide in her madness that pegasi are too dangerous, or unicorns? If you tolerate this then your children will be next!” he cried.
“SILENCE!” bellowed Celestia, knocking Dice from his hooves with the force of her words. “WE WILL HEAR NO MORE OF THIS SLANDER! We would do nothing to harm our people. But you and your kind are abominations, you do nothing but spread death and chaos wherever you go. How many do you think have been killed in your uprising? We will not rest until every seed of your monstrous sire is destroyed.”
“Yes, kill us all!” yelled Dice picking himself up again, “Every stallion! Every mare! Every filly! Every colt! Even if you do that, you’ll never be safe. Sooner or later Discord will return and will have revenge for what you have done to his children.”
“That will never happen,” cried Celestia. “Never again!”
“You’re afraid,” taunted Dice, stepping forward. “Afraid of us.” A ragged cheer went up from the surviving Discordians and some brought weapons to bear again. The guard likewise prepared to return to the fight.
The Doctor laid on the ground, head full of the sound of static that seemed to fill the whole world. “Stop,” he gasped, but no one seemed to notice.
“You should be afraid, your majesty,” hissed Dice. “One day everything you have built will crumble to dust around you. Entropy will win in the end. Equestria will fall.” He brought back a hoof and, with a sound heard across the clearing, slapped Celestia around the face. “Discord will rise again.”
“By fire be purged!” screamed Celestia, rearing up, eyes glowing. Rippling sheets of flames burst from the solar princess in all directions. The torrent passed harmlessly over her own guards and those without a spark a chaos within them, but was completely destructive to the Discordians. Dice Roller was the first to be struck; his form held for a second a spot of darkness in the light before he was reduced to ash by the energy released.
Seeing the wave of energy approaching them, Apple Pie took Peach in his arms and buried her face in his mane. A single tear fell from the stallion’s eye before the fire reached them and obliterated them both at once. Their shadows were burnt onto the bark of a nearby tree, there to remain for the rest of its long life.
Thunder’s fallen form, blank eyes staring into the sky, was likewise destroyed by the billowing flames.
Several Discordians tried to flee by hoof or wind but it only delayed their fate for a few seconds. The flames caught up with them as it eradicated them.
The burst passed the Doctor leaving him physically unharmed while all around him was destroyed.
Finally the spell came to an end, leaving only the guard and the Discordians’ allies intact. The air and ground were thick with the remains of the fallen.
Seemingly bewildered by her own actions, Celestia fell to her knees, looking at the emptiness around her. She opened her mouth to speak then closed it again. A guard stepped up to her, likewise looking shocked. “Your.. your orders, your highness?” he stuttered.
Like a window closing all emotion fell from the princess’s face and she stood again. “Take any survivors prisoner. I would wish to know of any further groups such as this,” she ordered.
Suddenly released from the agony of the buzzing, the Doctor blinked tears from his eyes and looked around. The ground was covered with a thick layer of ash, the only remains of the Discordians. He picked up a hoof-full and watched it blow away in the breeze. “Gone, all gone,” he muttered. “Not again.”
The Doctor offered no resistance as two guards dragged him to his hooves and away from the sight of the massacre. He hung between them brokenly, his eyes staring blindly inwardly.
The Doctor didn’t know how long he remained in shock. He was aware of being carried through the air for quite some time, of entering a dwelling of some sort. When he became fully aware, it was day. He was in some large canvas structure, presumably a tent; the walls were of white and gold and a bright light shone through them. He was held inside a wooden cage large enough for him to have space to walk around. Surrounding it were several of the white coated guards he had seen earlier, a mix of all three tribes. The door was held shut by a solid padlock; he made a mental note to obtain a new sonic screwdriver if he got back to the TARDIS, since they were useful for this kind of situation. He tried not to think of what had just happened, of the death. It had been so small scale compared to what he had done so recently but to see their destruction had hit him hard. One million deaths are just a statistic; to breathe in the ash left from a holocaust makes it feel so much more real.
“Hey you,” he yelled at one of the guards, trying to distract himself. “Any chance of breakfast? I guess you wouldn’t have a fry up but how about a croissant?”
There was no reply, in fact the guardpony didn’t even move.
He suddenly realised that neither the tracker nor the shard were with him anymore and cursed. He’d have to get them back and quickly; he didn’t know how much longer his shielding would hold. If it dropped, then it would make Celestia’s spell look like a spark. Looking around the chamber, there were no sign of his property. A dark shadow in one corner caught his eye. “Interesting,” he mused.
A white unicorn mare with a red mane and ornate armour entered the chamber. “Her Highness wants to see you,” she announced.
“That’s nice, I’ve got a few words to say to her too.”
A red glow appeared around the lock along with a blue glow from one of the guards, and it opened with a snick.
“You should watch your tongue,” said the officer. “Show the Princess respect or I’ll gut you myself.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll show her all the respect she’s due,” replied the Doctor in an even voice.
The guards eyed him as they passed down a long silken corridor. At the far end a pair of guards stood, spears crossed. “Prisoner for the Princess to interrogate,” announced the white unicorn. The guards nodded and stepped aside.
The chamber beyond was huge, at least the height of ten ponies standing on each others’ backs, and wide enough to play a decent game of hoofball in. Light shone in from various carefully sculpted holes in the walls, illuminating the room - although a corner remained in shadow. The floor was covered by a thick red carpet and a perfumed breeze blew from somewhere. Several guards stood motionless along the walls. However, the feature that caught the gaze was the throne at the far end; rising two pony heights, it appeared to be made out of solid gold and carved with intricate patterns. The back appeared to be an image of the sun and seemed to glow in the light. Upon the throne, looking like she was carved from the same material, sat Celestia.
The Doctor’s guard bowed deeply in front of the Alicorn. “The prisoner you asked for, your Highness.”
“That you Captain Blueblood, you may leave. See if Lady Rumsey’s Lightning Bolts have obtained any information from the other captives.”
“Yes, your highness.” The mare gave a smart salute and turned and marched from the chamber.
The giant white mare examined the Doctor in silence for quite some time. The Doctor stared back defiantly, chin out.
Celestia broke the silence. “What are you?” she asked gently.
The Doctor gave no reply.
“You are not a pony. Not a real pony. Two hearts beat in your breast, that I know. You are not a spirit, not a changeling nor any other kind of sidhe. Nor are you a scion of the Mad God - my flames did not touch you.”
The Doctors jaw tightened as he grit his teeth, the effect of her flames on the Discordians running through his head again.
Celestia got down from her throne and started to circle the lone stallion, dwarfing him with her size.
“Did you feel something for them? Were they not your captors? Were you allied to them?”
“They were only ponies,” intoned the Doctor finally breaking his silence.
“They had led a rebellion against my rule, they had killed many,” replied Celestia. “They were the children of Discord. They were monsters,” she announced.
“There were FOALS!” thundered the Doctor, with such force that the alicorn took a step back. “Even here, even in this magic land where you could be so much better, even here. FOALS! STILL! DIE! WHY! Why? why?” he trailed off. “Why do children have to die?” he whispered.
“I... I...” stuttered Celestia, suddenly appearing smaller. Then she rallied. “Do you think I wanted to do that? Do you think I enjoyed it? I gave them the chance to surrender. They did not accept it. So I did what was necessary to minimise the bloodshed.”
“Oh yes, evil is always necessary, isn’t it,” spat the Doctor.
To his surprise, Celestia remained calm. “A necessary evil, maybe. It is my responsibility. I weighed their lives against the damage they may have caused and did what had to be done.”
“They were that bad?” asked the Doctor somewhat taken aback by her matter of fact tone.
“Their leader, Curveball, killed half of the day court, trying to assassinate me. I saw ponies who I had known for their whole life die, their forms and minds twisted by his chaos magic’s. That can not, will not, happen again.”
“Just like that? One of them attacked you, and genocide was your answer?”
“Of course not. I am not a monster. I tried to locate them all and remove them from society where they could not cause any further harm. They responded with violence and rebellion.”
“Oh I can’t think why,” replied the Doctor, his voice dripping with sarcasm. ”Your forces came in the night and took their children, what did you think they would do? Thank you for it?”
“It was for their own good.”
“Their good? Or yours? Why are you so scared of them? So scared of Discord?”
Celestia staggered back a step wings spread, “You do not know what chaos can do, the threat their sire was. I cannot allow even a trace of Discord’s evil to remain in this world.” There was a hint of panic in her voice. “I will not let his presence touch me or Equestria again.” She began to pace back and forth. “He ruled this land for a time and all was chaos, the death and destruction was horrific. He was pure evil.”
“You don’t know what evil is,” hissed the Doctor. “I know evil, bubbling balls of evil and hatred spending every second of every day planning to kill everything that isn’t themselves. Not chaos but cold and burning order.”
“Really? And what is this creature?”
“Creatures, billion upon billion of them in endless ranks. They called themselves the Daleks,” he spat.
“I have not heard of these creatures, what happened to them?” Celestia sounded intrigued.
“I destroyed all of them. Every. Last. Stinking. One,” he crowed, “I destroyed them all.” He sounded less sure. “It was necessary.”
“Oh yes, evil is always necessary, isn’t it,” replied the Alicorn mockingly.
“This is different. Every Dalek wanted nothing less than to destroy all life. They had no children, no pacifists, no civilians.”
“You did what you had to do and so did I. You do not know what I have had to sacrifice for my people.”
“Sacrifice! You live in a palace surrounded by guards and servants! What have you sacrificed? Only having twelve courses at your banquets rather than fifteen? Given up that extra slice of cake for the sake of keeping your flanks looking good?”
“Have a care. Your life is in my hooves,” hissed Celestia. “You cannot know the responsibilities I have. What I have done for my people.”
“Responsibility! Sacrifice! I destroyed my own race when they went too far!” the Doctor thundered. Suddenly realising what he had said, he staggered back and his hind legs gave out under him. “I destroyed my own race.”
“What?” demanded Celestia, looking horrified.
“I destroyed them all, every man, woman and child.” He seemed to be talking to himself, eyes unseeing. “I had to, there was no other option, they were too far gone. There was no other option.”
“You accuse me of evil, when you have committed genocide not just once but twice - including your own people?”
“It was different.”
“Oh, it always is, isn’t it.”
“If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t be standing here right now, having this discussion.” He glared up to the larger pony. “Either the Daleks would have won and everything that wasn’t a Dalek would be dead, or my people would have destroyed the universe and ascended. It was a no-win situation. But I’ve made a life out of winning no-win situations... there should have been another way. There should have been.” His head dropped and tears began to fall. “There was no choice, but there were children. Friends. Family. No choice but to burn it all. But was it right?”
The chamber was silent for a moment. Then Celestia stepped forward and put a wing around the weeping pony. For the first time in so long she felt a kinship with another creature. “I am sorry for you loss, I understand, I wish... I wish...” For a moment the Doctor felt as if this were a turning point for this world, as if time could go one way or another depending on the princess’s next words. “I wish you could be as certain in your path as me. I am certain of the righteousness of my actions.” Then the moment was gone.
“Certain! Certain! Can’t you even admit that you might be wrong!”
She quickly broke the hug and folded her wing tight to her side. “I am Princess Celestia, I rule Equestria as I have for so many ages. I protect its people, I am not wrong, I cannot be wrong!”
“Cannot be wrong! If you are so infallible, so divine. Why haven't I heard of you?”
“What!” exclaimed Celestia.
“Oh, I have seen the future of this world and Celestia is not in it. I might be remembered as the greatest mass murder the universe has ever seen but you are not remembered at all!”
“No!” cried Celestia, her form starting to glow. “That cannot be, if I am not present in the future what will happened to my people?”
“Princess Luna rules in the future and she is fair and loved by her people.”
“LIAR!” howled Celestia, her mane and tail bursting into flames, her eyes glowing. The heat drove the Doctor back. “I will not be forgotten. Not after all I have done, all I have sacrificed. My sister has withdrawn, she cannot handle rulership.”
Several small fires broke out in the canvas of the tent. The guard seemed unsure as what to do; several stared at their leader in terror while others were attempting to bat out the flames.
With visible effort Celestia reined in her temper and her hair returned to its nebulous form. She closed her eyes and the fires went out. “Take this wretch from my sight. I will decide his fate later,” she commanded.
Several guards rushed over and grasped the Doctor, bearing him roughly to the ground.
“Maybe your people don’t need you as much as you think, when did you last talk to them?” called the Doctor as he was dragged back to his cage.
The Doctor did not know how long he spent in the cage. His body and mind, weary from his recent regeneration and the other recent shocks, fell into a deep sleep. When he awoke, it was dark outside once more. As before the cage was surrounded by guards, but this time they had collapsed on the ground. One was snoring loudly.
“I guess you can come out now,” said the Doctor.
“You knew I was here?” came a disembodied voice.
“I kept seeing shadows without a light source, I guessed it was you.”
A dark equine shape seemed to form from the ground in front of the cage. It was almost pitch black, apart from a glowing starscape of a mane and a pair of unfocused blue eyes which seemed to stare past the Doctor. “A shadow without a light source. Yes, I am that, my mind is in darkness now.” Her voice was a dull monotone.
“Luna?” asked the Doctor.
“Yes. Were you expecting somepony else?”
“When I last saw you, will see you, you were different.”
“I have no recollection of meeting you before.”
“I’ve met you before in the future,” explained the Doctor.
The Princesses eyes focused on him for a second. “Then you meant what you said? That in the future I will rule alone?”
“Yes, you will rule well and be loved.”
“I know you are lying. I do not have the strength to rule, Celestia has always been the stronger of the two of us. She has the strength to make the hard decisions. Ponies love her days, while they will always fear my nights.”
The Doctor reached through the bars of the cage towards the princess of the night. “Maybe it is not strength that is needed but compassion and understanding. My people chose a strong ruler over a compassionate one and he led them to destruction.”
“Why should I listen to you, a creature who by his own admission has destroyed two races, including his own?”
“I’m not asking you to listen to me, I’m asking you to listen to your people. The whole Discordian uprising might not have happened if somepony had listened to them. They did not need to die.”
“Discord was a monster,” Luna took a step back, “Why should his spawn be any different?”
“Why don’t you ask them? Track down any that survive and talk to them and others in Equestria, you might find that more appreciate you and your nights that you think. When was the last time you or Celestia spent time with the common pony, walked among them, played hoofball?”
“It has been some time since I have left my studies, or my sister’s court. There is a beach house I have fond memories of.” She seemed to brighten. “Maybe I will go there and talk to the locals. But what is ‘hoofball’?”
“Not invented yet? Well, I guess you can work it out by the name.”
Luna looked intrigued for a moment, then put this fact aside. “What am I to do with you, stranger? I do not even know your name.”
“I don’t know if I’m worthy of it. I take it your sister hasn’t decided yet.”
“She has been called away by reports of another group of Discordians. She is not expected to return until morning at least. However, I will not lie, she is still angry with you. Your words cut her deep. If you are here when she returns then things will not go well for you.”
“Then would it be better if I was not here?” the Doctor looked hopeful.
The princess looked thoughtful. “I do not know. I have no reason to trust you, you may be lying... but I hope you are not. I fear I had begun to walk a dark path, and you have offered me a light in that darkness.”
“Like the moon?”
Luna’s head shot up and her eyes focused on the Doctor again. “Yes, the moon is a light in the darkness, isn’t it?”
Suddenly and without any sensation of movement, the Doctor was outside of the cage, standing amongst the still dozing guards. “Thank you. I had some items with me when I arrived, a wand and a crystal.”
A box appeared at his hooves and the Doctor opened it to reveal his possessions. “Thank you.”
“What are these?” asked Luna examining the crystal.
“Ask me when we meet again, I’ve already told you the answer.”
She frowned. “You are strange,” she started, then smiled. “But I hope we can talk further when we next meet.”
“We will get to talk, although not for as long as I had hoped, and we don’t get off to the best of starts, but maybe we'll meet again.”
“When she gets back, my sister will be angry. Where will you go?”
“I have my own means of transport. Celestia will not be able to follow, I’ll be fine. But what about you?”
“I will tell her of my decision in regards to you. In theory at least we rule together, so I can make my own decisions in these matters. She will not be happy but I think she will accept it.”
The Doctor turned to leave, then stopped. “Where are we, anyway?”
“My sisters camp, many leagues from where she found you.”
“That could be a problem.” The Doctor could feel a slight burning sensation start on his skin. He did not think he could remain in this universe for much longer before his shielding broke down. He shuddered as he thought about what had happened the last time he had almost overstayed his welcome. “Um, could you give me a lift back to where I was?”
“Very well.” Luna raised her wings and engulfed the Doctor in their darkness; when light returned the two of them were standing in a familiar clearing. The various tents still sat where they had a day ago, but by now the physical remains of the Discordians had been scattered. The enormity of what had occurred here once again hit the Doctor. He staggered over to a blackened tree and ran a hoof over it. “I’m sorry, Apple, Peach,” he mumbled.
Luna looked shocked as well. “This is...” she started.
“All that remains of two ponies a filly and her father. I couldn’t save them. I didn’t even try. There was something here...” he screwed up his face. “I can’t remember now.”
“My sister did this? To ponies?” She ran a hoof over the burned pattern. “Why did she do this?”
“She felt it was necessary to protect her people. Maybe that should be a lesson for you, not to do what is necessary over what is right.”
“I will try. Before you go, please tell me. What is your name?”
“I told you, I don’t know if I can use it anymore.”
“But what is it?”
The Doctor sighed. “I used to call myself the Doctor, but it’s been a long time since I healed anything.”
“Doctor.” Luna rolled the name around her mouth. “I think you should use it again. You may have started me on the path to healing and maybe even my sister, she may still think on your words and change her ways.”
“Thank you, I’ll think about it.”
“Please do.” With that Luna disappeared into the night.
Looking around, the Doctor orientated himself towards the TARDIS and set off, picking his way between the trees. The journey was short and he soon found himself standing in front of the familiar blue box. It had healed over the time he had been away and now stood clean and new again. He gave the shell a pat. “That’s better.” He grinned before opening the door to reveal the new fully grown control room. “Fantastic!”
“Well I’m back,” he muttered to himself. “Let’s go see where a Doctor is needed.”
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Hmm. It's worth noting here that I've always thought that Celestia has a "sense" for changes to the timestream. Nothing overt, more like what Guinan appeare to be capable of in Star Trek. I wonder if she'll be able to look at the Doctor and realize he's a time traveller.
Wait, but the fire was supposed to destroy things that have a seed of chaos in them.
Just bringing a little black comedy to the moment.
3456502
That might be interesting for the next chapter which does include some changes to the time line. It might even fix what was a plot hole. Do you see it as just being Celestia or all Alicorns?
And for a sneak preview of what happens next month
3456558
Just Celestia, personally. Though this is very much your fic, and the only time I've ever brought it up was in a non-canon story anyway (I'll See You Soon, the one with Future Dinky).
Also, you're going to kill Dinky?
fc00.deviantart.net/fs25/f/2009/242/f/1/Now_I_Will_Kill_You_Slowly_by_LOL_Cat.jpg
I can only hope that the story will involve Future Dinky trying to save herself.
3456586
Already have killed her actually, she dies in the first chapter, didn't you read it?
Oh, wait you've only seen the one I published in this time line right? I'll have to fix that.
Future Dinky will make an appearance but won't be saving herself, that's her mothers job.
So we now know that The Doctor may have influence events to prevent Nightmare Moon. Yet Celestia was already treading the path to madness so he may have prevented a war
3456627
No, I haven't read it. If you want me to, you can PM me it, though...
Celestia, when the person that committed double genocide says you've gone too far, you might want to listen.
He very nearly got to her, didn't he? WHEN she comes to her senses, she'll certainly remember this conversation and mourn the opportunities lost by isolating herself from her little ponies.
This belief in her infallibility means that she cannot see her errors.
I think I like your concept of the Moment better than the show's, the Bad Wolf interface aside.