The Void- Part One
The Doctor took Lyra back home and she did get enough rest and relaxation eventually, but then it soon came time to leave again, but before they did they would have to take a short pit stop to refuel on some gas or energy fumes as he called it.
As they waited another figure knew that the Doctor should be around here somewhere close and nearby, and he was desperately running towards them.
“Doctor!” he shouted out trying to gain his attention, “Doctor!”
Sadly, he was too far away from them to be heard yet, and Lyra wasn't particularly paying attention that much except with a casual remark that the pony might need help but the Doctor casually dismissed that since if anypony did need help it would probably not be from him and more like a medical doctor instead, but the pony kept running towards them, right at them.
“Doctor, I think he needs help, maybe our help”
“Nah, he probably is just curious, or needs medical help, anyhow, we’re good, let’s go, it’s best not to drain the gas station for any others to come along.”
“Doctor!”
“Wait, I think I can hear him.”
“Just ignore him.”
The pony kept running towards them and despite her better judgement Lyra went in with the Doctor into the Tardis and then closed the doors behind them.
And yet the pony still kept running towards the box all the same.
He knew that he just had to get there before it left no matter what happened.
Leaping through the air he crashed into the Tardis and hugged it before it left.
The Tardis in response, tried to retaliate and get the intruder off as they all traveled through space and time. “Doctor, what’s happening?”
“I don't know! It’s never done this before! But I sure can tell you that it isn't very good, not at all, I mean I wanted to take us into the future, but not this far, I mean 100 years, 1000, 10,000 oh my, 100 thousand, a million, ten million, 100 million, a billion, ten billion, 100 billion, 1 trillion, 10 trillion, 100 trillion, what? It’s not supposed to go this far into the future and we need to stop right now!”
He yanked on the lever very hard and the Tardis slowly and reluctantly came to a stop at the very end and edge of the universe. The Tardis stopped and the pony was flung away from the Tardis towards the ground at an impressive speed killing him. The Doctor and Lyra however, were completely unaware of these outside events. “Well, that was a rather very curious thing indeed,” he said.
“Yeah, what the hell just happened?” Lyra asked.
“We went through the future to the very end and edge of the universe, not even the stars are alive, but come, we’re here, might as well explore.”
The Doctor smiled and opened the door and instantly saw the dead pony there, so did Lyra too. “Oh my gosh, look Doctor! I think that pony came along with us for the ride, but how? And wait, he doesn't look like he’s breathing!”
The Doctor looked around at the landscape seeing if anything else was there, but there was nothing, “Well yes, but I know this fellow, he’s been with me before which could explain why he even knew me, but as to the why he is here, well, I would just wait for him to tell us, he should be up about on his feet, I mean hooves in no time, stupid human terminology, old habits die hard you know.”
“Doctor, he’s dead! He’s not breathing and he has no pulse!”
“Oh, yeah, he’s dead now, but just wait he should be up just about…”
The pony took in a deep breath of air gasping in surprise as Lyra did.
“But he was dead, how…”
“Lyra Heartstrings, meet Bucky Harkness, the only pony who can't die.”
“Hello there, love, my, aren't you a fancy looking mare?”
“Bucky, what did we say about saying hi to other mares and women?”
“Hey, I was just trying to say hi,” Bucky said.
“In your case saying hello is flirting.”
“Hey, give a man, or rather a stallion a break.”
“What is this ‘man’ you speak of?”
“Human, if I can ever get my Tardis to work again I'll show you the humans Lyra, I promise,” the Doctor said crossing his heart in a dramatic fashion.
“Oh yeah, sure thing, promise her to do that but fail to come back for me.”
“Hey, I got busy saving the world,” the Doctor said.
“Oh yeah? Well I got busy making sure Torchwood kept the world safe from you.”
“Bucky, you know as well as I do what goes on in there.”
“No, it’s different now, I changed it,” he explained casually and calmly.
“Yeah, whatever, let’s just try to explore this world for a bit before I take you back to wherever you came from since the Tardis will probably need to recharge, again,” the Doctor said with some slight hint of malice in his voice now.
“Hey, it’s not my fault my temporal disrupter got damaged, I got stuck in Equestria for a century before I saw you there and when I did I took the chance that I got and went with you, okay, there, that’s it, are you happy now?”
“I guess, but why did you wait so long?”
“Because I knew how you were, you love Equestria and especially Ponyville and Canterlot, and I knew that sooner or later you would get into trouble and you would have to stop and fill up your gas tank so to speak and yeah, that’s about it, but I do have to tell you, waiting a century does start to get boring.”
“Yeah, tell me all about it later on, right now we have the end of the universe to explore thanks to you and I suspect it’s because of our previous encounters.”
“Why? What happened to him?”
“Roseluck Tyler did,” The Doctor replied.
“You mean the Ponyville gardener and planter?”
“The one, same, and only, you see in another set of adventures that may or may not be coming to a story to a viewing audience soon,” he paused, looked up, winked towards the distance, and then continued, “Long story short she got these powers and there was this big bad wolf and she basically made Bucky here the first true immortal as far as I can tell and history records so far.”
“Yeah, lucky me, I died facing a Dalek in that last battle and then next thing I knew I was alive again, just as young and healthy as ever.”
“Wait, what’s a Dalek?” Lyra asked.
“Only one of the most dangerous things in the universe excluding everything else the Weeping Angels, Cybermen, humans, and time lords as well.”
“Oh,” she said, “That’s a small list.”
“The full list would be too long to read,” he said.
“Yeah, but come on Doctor, we have a world to explore and a lovely looking mare to keep me company so why don't we go around a bit and talk?”
Lyra blushed at his compliment and the Doctor sighed, “Fine then, but if you lay one single hoof on her I will personally send you to the gates of Tartarus.”
Bucky laughed a bit before he determined that the Doctor was quote serious and then he wisely decided to remain silent, “Right,” he said.
Meanwhile…
“Professor Kronos Turner?” a robotic voice called out from the dim light.
“What? I’m kind of busy right now at the moment,” he said.
“Well, we have a runner, and also something strange outside too…” the voice said, “By our scans it is four equines and a big blue box too.”
“Wait, what? Did you just say a big blue box?”
“Well the light scanners seem to indicate that color, our outside cameras for long range distance are a bit shaky at the moment.”
“And you said that there was a runner too?”
“Yes.”
“May Celestia have mercy on their souls.”
Currently…
The Doctor, Bucky, and Lyra all walked along casually along the gray surface of the planet, “Scans indicate a metal like material, and plenty of rock stuff too, it’s hard, dense, but very stable against earthquakes, there isn't enough weather or pressure to create a tornado, maybe a lightning storm though if there is enough water left, the ground and gravity appear roughly equal to Earth and/or Equestria, the air appears to be normal, almost everything does except for one small little detail, there are no towns, no roads, nothing, not even one pony wandering around, not even trash, no signs of life anywhere as of yet.”
“Doctor, you said it yourself, this is the end of the universe, so what?”
“Well, there should be something, I mean humanity or rather any kind of life has the will and urge to press on and keep living even through the end of the universe itself, I thought that there might be a few more survivors and all.”
“Well maybe they’re hiding because of something scary.”
“Like that?” Lyra said pointing down where they could clearly see a pony running away from what looked like vampire-zombie ponies, honestly that was the best way that Lyra could possibly describe them, they looked like a cross of swiss cheese, a changeling, and ponies as well. They looked horrible too.
“Wait, that looks like they’re hunting that poor pony and possibly yes to answer your question, but come on, let’s go, a life is in danger!”
They quickly found a way down to his level sort of going around in the circle when Lyra noticed that the sky was completely black, there were no stars, not anywhere, and she could swear that it not only seemed lonely, but cold too.
“Help me!” the poor pony said rushing towards them as the group happily accepted him as they kept running away, “Is there anywhere safe nearby?”
“Yes! There’s a shelter not too far away from here, we just have to get there first!”
“Okay, well then, let’s do that before we die!” the Doctor shouted back at him as they all ran following the strange pony until they saw something there.
It looked like an old military base, but it was clearly not abandoned like the caves and tunnel systems that they had seen earlier. As they got closer ponies scrambled around and demanded that they show their teeth and they did.
“Teeth! Okay, they’re safe, let them in!”
The gates slowly opened for them and then quickly shut before the horde got them and angrily they slowly left once a few warning shots and rounds of ammo had been fired. “Are you hurt?” The Doctor asked once they got inside.
“No, why?” the pony said back to him.
“Because I’m the Doctor.”
Meanwhile…
“Professor Kronos Turner? Hello, are you still there?”
“Yes, of course I am. What is it now? I’m still sort of busy at the moment.”
“How is Project Stardust?”
“It’s going well,” he lied back.
“Okay, we have some news, the runner is alive, but along with him is a pony that claims he’s a doctor plus two of his friends as well.”
“Wait, a Doctor, a Doctor of what exactly?”
“He says everything.”
“Oh, a scientist then! Well, let him in then, take him to me, any and all help would be great, I mean me and Chakra are doing just fine, but still…”
“Understood Doctor, good luck,” the voice said as the radio went silent.
“Thank you, Chakra, clean up this mess of a lab right now!”
“Cha, of course mister Turner, cha,” she said.
Turner sighed and then held his head as yet another headache came upon him, he had them his whole life and little could ever be done to stop them.
“Cha, Doctor, are you okay, cha?”
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you Chakra, just keep cleaning,” he said.
“Cha, yes, of course Doctor, cha.”
“You don't need to say cha to start and end every sentence.”
“Cha! But it would be rude, cha,” she said. Turner sighed as she cleaned up and hoped that whatever the mess that it wouldn't be too much for his guest to be.
The metal doors opened up slowly to reveal a brown stallion with a cutie mark almost matching Turner’s own, the only difference was that Kronos had a pen/quill and paper besides his own for some strange mysterious reason.
“Hello there, I was told that you were some kind of professor here.”
“Well yes, and I heard that you were a doctor, yes?”
“Yes, but not just a doctor, I am the Doctor,” he said.
“What’s your name then, Doctor?”
“Just the Doctor, that’s all?”
“Okay then, so, Doctor, I’m having a bit of trouble with this spaceship here,”
“You mean this old piece of junk?” The Doctor asked staring at some photos and images of it. “Well technically yes, but it will be able to hold our entire base and take us to the place that we have always dreamed about, Utopia, or as some like to call it, the Void, or even the great unknown of space would work too.”
“Well, what about you, do you think it exists?”
“Utopia? Maybe, but I like to call it Solara because of the sun princess and all.”
“You mean Celestia? How is she anyways?”
“Oh, she died with her sister when all the stars died out.”
“Wait, what?”
“Yes, indeed, it was quite tragic, this small base is what is left of the quine race and changelings, dragons, griffons, and more including alien races are here too, Chakra here for example, my assistant in the lab, is a hybrid of a changeling and what was it, a Toppla? Well, whatever it was she’s very useful here in the lab.”
“Yes, I can see, but do you know what your problem is?”
“I think, but I’m not quite sure otherwise I might have found a way to fix it by now,” Kronos said, “Oh, and forgive me, I never gave you my name Doctor, I am professor Kronos Turner, also a doctor of some sorts but rather bad at it.”
“No! You’re actually very good, some of this stuff I did not expect to see, but I do think I see your problem, if you just reroute the thermal ignition and cooling coupling and rewire the dynamic remote interface and move this bit here and remove this and replace it with this interface while doing this it should work!”
The Doctor smiled proudly as the screen flashed a bright green.
Project Stardust is now complete, the spaceship is now ready for departure, all residents please pack up immediately and prepare to leave.
That was the voice that came out of every speaker and was what was written on the green screen now, “But Doctor, wait, how did you do that? I mean it’s simply genius, thank you Doctor, thank you very much!”
“Ah, it’s no problem at all, but you’re the real genius for getting it this far.”
“Yes, but sadly someone must stay here to see the spaceship off and I have given up my hopes on Utopia so I shall stay for the benefit of all, and my stupid assistant refuses to go anywhere without me so that’s going to be two of us stuck here, but I am old and I am tired, and I want rest,” the brown coated black haired and silver eyes (with glasses on the end of his face/nose) stallion said sitting down on a chair and then rubbing his head feeling yet another headache.
“Well, don't give up hope yet, I have this big blue box that can travel through space and time and wait, are you okay?”
“Yes, just a headache, I’ve had it my whole life, but wait, did you just say that you had a big blue box that could travel through time and space?”
“Why yes, I did, got a problem with that?”
“No, not at all, but I am rather very curious to how it can possibly work.”
“Simple, timey wimey wibbly wobbly stuff.”
Kronos blinked, “I’m not going to even ask, but all of this seems familiar somehow, it’s almost like an old memory that I can't quite remember…”
“Uh, Doctor, the screen turned red,” Lyra said.
Kronos sighed, walked over and sighed, “I almost forgot the radiation energy fuel cells, without them this spaceship will never get anywhere, but getting in a suit might take too long and the radiation would kill a normal pony or alien.”
“Well, I have a solution for that, Bucky over there is your man.”
“Well, if you say so,” Kronos said, “You there, go to the radiation lab, now!”
Bucky smiled, grinned, got up and then through the careful instruction of Kronos over the speakers he lead him through to it where Bucky went in without a suit and did not die, “I don't understand, he should be dead.”
“Indeed, but he’s not, but your problems are all taken care of so why don’t you come with me on an adventure? Sure, you’re old, but I like you a lot.”
“An adventure, with you? But wait, what are you exactly anyways?”
“A time lord, I come from the planet Gallifrey,”
“Yeah, and he survived something called the time wars as well.”
Kronos shook his head and frowned, all of this was seeming all too familiar with him, almost like he was remembering something old and lost, and he could swear that he was hearing some voices that were definitely not his own in his head.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I am fine,” Kronos said pulling out an old watch of his, “Just fine…”
Kronos started to stroke the watch round and around in circles and the Doctor instantly recognized it as a watch for whenever a time lord wanted to be mortal for various reasons, mostly to hide though, and only in times of great danger.
“Where did you get that watch from?”
“Oh? This old thing, I’ve had it for ages, been with me my whole life just like my headaches, it’s broken though…”
“Have you ever opened it before?”
“No, never.”
“Then how do you know it’s broken?”
“I can hear it, and I just know, okay?”
“Alright, fine then, just don't open it yet without me, okay?”
“Okay, whatever you say, Doctor.”
The Doctor glanced nervously upwards to see that Bucky had finished his job by now, but now an even greater worry was on his mind, Kronos.
“Doctor…”
“What?”
“You know, I’ve had this message for years now, and only now I understand, but it has always confused me until now, the message is simply this, professor Yana sends his regards to the one known only as the Doctor, and I can only assume he meant you, he also wishes me to tell you this, go rot in hell.”
“Wait, what?” The Doctor said with surprises.
Before the Doctor could say anything else a brilliant golden beam of bright yellow and white light filled the room as time lord energy flowed back through the watch into Kronos after he curiously opened it. Then once it faded he laughed.
“Wow! My plan worked, but then again, it always does, after all, they didn't call me the Game Master for nothing, or a chess champion, honestly, I never thought it would come to this, trapping myself into a mortal body, but no matter, sacrifices must be made on the battlefield, the General can tell you that much.
But now years of crazy brilliant and genius ideas are returning and they are wonderful! And what’s this, I think me and you are not the only time lords left, no, you recognized my watch, and Yana, it meant you are not alone, and Vashar was right, you aren't, but the Master isn't the only one left out there…
I’m still here, call me the Librarian if you will, although it is a rather poor name, my nickname of Gamemaster was much better suited, I also have a brother named the Historian, you know him, he’s still alive, and my sister, the Sparrow as we called her, although silver was a nice nickname because of her Tardis, and also because of her raven and interest in books and reading and whatnot too.”
Kronos quickly turned around and before any of them could react shot his assistant dead and smiled at them, “I always did find her rather annoying, but I do wish I had a better name, GM will do because I’m not the author or storyteller either sadly enough, and the General is not yet here either so I can have some fun with you my way and I think I'll start with your little friend first!”
Once again Kronos fired his gun, but this time at Lyra who he quickly went over to and tried to take before the Doctor took charge.
But it was too late and Kronos broke in the Tardis with Lyra.
“So then, Doctor, are you ready and willing to play my little game to save your friend or would you rather sit back and watch everything you love burn?”