//------------------------------// // Night Terrors // Story: Doctor Whooves: The Eternals' Prison // by LightOfTriumph //------------------------------// "Prison?!" Octavia asked, obviously shocked. "There is a prison here?! For what?! Who's so dangerous that they have to be locked up in the center of all reality?!" "Indeed," the Doctor smiled. "Most intriguing. Perhaps we should ask. Excuse me, guard?" The guard patrolling them noticed them, shrugged, then promptly went about his business patrolling the halls. "Excuse me?" The Doctor repeated. The guard continued on his way. "I see," the Doctor smiled. "So that's it... I can't say its lovely to see you chaps again. Though this is interesting... Very, very interesting..." "What kind of crap is this?!" Vinyl was getting angry at getting ignored. "HEY NUMBNUTS!!! WE'RE TALKING TO YOU!" "Vinyl!" Octavia hissed. "Oh, don't worry," the Doctor said. "She won't attract any attention. None of us will..." "What?" Vinyl asked, confused. "What are we, invisible?" "Worse than that," the Doctor sighed. "Unimportant." Vinyl and Octavia tilted their heads. "These beings are eternal," the Doctor explained. "They live forever, and have lived for billions and billions of years. They've lived so long that they can't remember what it's like to be ephemeral, like us. So eventually... They stopped considering us life. Or at least any kind of life more threatening than a rat or insect. We're too small, too temporary. We don't even register on their radar." "Well," Vinyl sighed. "That puts us in perspective, don't it." "Quite," the Doctor replied. "On the other hand I think we can use this to our advantage... Let's look in a few cells, shall we? I don't think they'll mind..." The Doctor, Vinyl and Octavia began to look through the ground floor of the prison. vinyl took care to shove a few guards down to the ground along the way. In the cells they saw a myriad of different species. Many humans from different time periods, some with very oddly colored skin, more than a few Silurians, a few species the Doctor didn't recognize, and even a Cyberman. They all had one thing in common however. They were all laid up in bed, tossing and turning like they hadn't even heard of a good night's sleep. "Hey!" Vinyl said happily. "Check it out! Death killing salt shaker of doom! Sweet." The Doctor ran over to the cell Vinyl was looking in, and sure enough, nestled in a specially designed socket in a back wall was a Dalek. Wired. Immobile. Muttering to itself. "Oh, look at you..." The Doctor shook it's head. "I'm not sure even you deserve what's happening to you... I could almost pity you... Almost..." "It ended up in jail!!" Vinyl laughed. "Priceless!! Serves you right, you Tin Can..." "No, Vinyl, it doesn't," the Doctor frowned. "There is nothing right about this. Something is very very wrong... Indescribably wrong...." "What?" Vinyl was puzzled. "You're saying this thing doesn't deserve to be here? This is one of the flying exterminate robots, right?" "It's a mutant," the Doctor clarified. "Sorry," Vinyl said dryly. "It's called a Dalek," the Doctor said quietly. "A mutant native of the planet Skarro. They are the most ruthless killing machines in the entire multiverse. They have meant the end of hundreds of species, including my own. They are the most evil, vile, cruel and sadistic creatures in the whole of reality... And right now, they are the very least of our worries..." "Excuse me?!" Vinyl's eyes widened. "Think about what I've told you about this prison!" the Doctor said in hushed tones. "It's run by beings who do not see mortal life as intelligent life. So why exactly are all the prisoners here, for lack of a better word, ephemeral? Vinyl thought for a moment. "Wait, so this isn't a prison?" Vinyl asked. "Is this some kind of weird alien zoo?" "Very good guess," the Doctor smiled. "But wrong, I'm afraid. We are seeing a prison, and while our minds are simplifying the specifics, a prison is where we are. No, the problem is with the prisoners..." "Yeah," Vinyl thought. "If we're basically bugs to these people, why are so many of them locked up?" "One of two reasons," the Doctor frowned. "Either each and every one of these people has done something so horrendous and destrcutive so as to attract the attention of Eternal beings who see them as no more than mice..." "Or?" "Or...," the Doctor straightened up. "The much, much worse option. I need to find somepony in charge. Immediately I have more than a few questions to ask..." "How are you going to find them?" Vinyl asked. "And even if you did, how are you going to get them to talk to you?" "Oh, they'll talk to me," the Doctor gave a mad grin. "We have a history." Vinyl paused. "Why do I have this sinking feeling you belong in here with the salt shaker?" "Aha," the Doctor chuckled. "Well, it was hardly my fault. There were the Guardians, and I had to make a negotiation, there was a crystal and a red-headed boy, it was complicated. Anyway, what else can you tell me about the prisoners?" "Oh, what, you're testing me now?" Vinyl asked. "Indeed I am," the Doctor grinned. "Go on." Vinyl looked around and thought for a moment. "Uhh...," she began intelligently. "They're all asleep." "Correct!" the Doctor bellowed. "Not just asleep but in a very deep induced coma. And every single one of these prisoners isn't sleeping well. They're all tossing and turning... Now... I've taken care of children before and I know when a little one is having very bad dreams." "Nightmares?" Vinyl asked. "Night terrors more like," the Doctor sighed. "Force fed into their minds on a constant loop. An absolute mental hell for each of them... Torturing them with their own minds... Hmmm... A long time ago, way back in history..." "That's just messed up!" Vinyl said shocked. "Is 'Cruel and Unusual not a thing in space or--" "Doctor?!" called a shocked Octavia from across the hall. The Doctor and Vinyl both ran to the cell she was inspecting, and suddenly the Doctor understood. He understood why Blue sent him here... He understood what he needed to do. He understood everything that was going to happen... And then he suddenly didn't. From out of the shadows stepped a young mare, about Vinyl and Octavia's age. She had a caramel colored coat and pinkish-purple short cut mane and tail. For some reason, she was wearing an orange button down shirt. "His name is Blue," she said quietly. "Do you know him?"