//------------------------------// // Endings and Arrival // Story: Doctor Who: The Devouring Light // by Thait //------------------------------// CHAPTER 1 "MOVE!" The shout from the guard sent soldiers streaming into the hallway to take positions behind barricades and in alcoves set for just such purposes. At the end of the hallway the door began to shimmer as every magical ward and scientific shield in place began to be devoured by the energy entity that tore at it. Seconds later a golden light shimmered into existence and spread outward devouring the door itself leaving the hallway open and allowing the guards to see the cloaked figure standing there while shimmering golden ropes of light whipped around him scoring the walls with darkness. "Open fire!" The shout had barely been given when whips of golden energy lashed forward to grab the first two soldiers wrapping around them before seeming to pull right through them. The two men screamed as golden light began to spread leaving a dark blackness behind until they had been completely covered in it before it the faded out entirely leaving nothing behind. The commander shuddered, shaking his head as the timeline lurched and his neural implants informed him the two soldiers who had been struck hadn't just been killed but completely wiped from the timeline as if they had never existed. Without waiting a second longer the men opened fire only to have a mass of golden strands whip forward clearing the hallway of obstructions. MCA COMMAND CENTER The double doors vanished under the assault of golden energy as the cloaked being walked into the command center watching with disinterest as soldiers, agents and even a few of the facilities prisoners tried to defend themselves, all without success. In the end only the facilities general still stood, protected by layer upon layer of magical shielding even as the energy ate away at it steadily. "Destroying us won't get you what you want." General Cartwright glared at the being who had not only neutralized the Multiversal Control Agency's headquarters but also wiped out its agents and soldiers. "What I want?" Laughter filled the room as the golden light began to spread outwards devouring the room itself and the building around it before starting on the world and then the space around the world until the two were standing on a small bit of floor floating in a true expanse of nothing. "You think too highly of yourself, believing that I want something from you." "Then why here! Why attack us." "Because you are in my way." Under the hood the general could see the beings lips curve in a smile "Because I was wondering if there would be a challenge here, a chance to test myself. Unfortunately you have proven a lackluster bunch." Letting out a sigh he looked at the general who was now protected by only a handful of shields. "There are plenty out there who will stop you." The general sounded quite a bit more confident that he looked. "No. There was one who could have challenged me. One who could have put up a fight and maybe even beat me." Claw tipped fingers dipped into a pocket and then came out with a small pocket watch, looking at it he smiled again. "There was one, but I have already dealt with him." Lifting the watch he let it sway back and forth gently "All that he is, all that he has ever done is in this watch." Seeing the dismay on the generals face he chuckled "Ah so you know of the one I speak of." Golden light ripped through the last shield sliding through the general and starting blackness spreading across his body. "Doctor." It was the last whisper before the blackness had consumed the general and then the floor leaving only the cloaked being floating in the darkness. "There will be no Doctor to help you this time, or ever again." He looked up at the blackness around him "Yes. Devour this universe and then spread to the next. Nothing stands in our way now." He slipped the watch back into a pocket. "They say ignorance is bliss. Well enjoy your bliss while it lasts Doctor for your end will come soon enough, along with everything else in creation." 000000000000 Reality Cluster 3002 Universe type : Chaotic "Move it boy!" Genma was over the tree and sprinting down the path as swiftly as he could move after having abandoned his pack nearly a mile back. Glancing back he could see Ranma keeping pace as the golden light rushed through trees and rocks leaving a strange blackness behind that seemed to try and shove the eye elsewhere. Genma knew he'd run out of stamina eventually and was just hoping that somehow there was a way out of this even as his mind told him this was going to end in death no matter what he attempted to do. Running was only delaying the unstoppable thing behind them that was moving so quickly to destroy them. "And the day started so well." Ranma raced forward to catch up to his father as the golden energy continued its advance without even slowing down. "I don't know how much longer we can keep this pace pops." Looking forward he noticed they were getting close to a cliff that overlooked a large valley of springs with bamboo poles sticking out of them. Both reached the edge of the cliff at the same time and launched themselves off and over the springs angling for the ground between them Ranma noticed a small hut by a path and saw a large man and a small girl standing in front of it watching the light that was now devouring the sky above. Even as the two landed on the ground he could see the same golden light rushing in from the other direction until the valley of springs was surrounded. Only for the light to slow to crawl as if something was resisting its forward momentum into the area. Genma looked up to see the sky had turned black as golden tendrils lashed against a strange shimmering barrier that seemed to surround the valley. He had lived long enough to know a magical reaction when he saw it, but he could also see that it was shrinking steadily under the pressure of the golden light and its trailing black. The two martial artists quickly crossed the area to where the man and what Genma assumed was his daughter were standing with the man staring in fear at their encroaching doom. He could see the girl was crying with her face buried in her father's shoulder. "W-what do we do?" Ranma couldn't keep both panic and fear out of his voice as he stared at the approaching light. "Nothing boy." Genma sighed looking around "There is nothing we can do but sit and wait." Sure he could have been freaking out but in this situation what would that have accomplished. Looking once more at the man and his daughter Genma slipped forward and struck a pressure point on the girl knocking her out completely. "It's best she not know what's happening." Genma spoke before the man could complain and then moved back near Ranma watching as his son looked at every inch of the sky and surrounding area. "There's no way out boy, we're not getting out of this one." Ranma wanted to shout at his old man for being so calm in the face of what could be a truly painful and excruciating death but his attention was suddenly caught by one of the springs as a glimmer of blue light shimmered forth. Frowning he crept towards it watching the surface of the water as more blue light shimmered forth in a light mist. Looking up he could see more blue glows starting from other springs but the light flowed inwards towards the spring that Ranma had first looked at until the water seemed unnaturally clear and bore a faint blue glow that seemed to shine from every inch of the spring. "Ranma!" Spinning around he watched in shock as golden light, having breached the last of the shield around Jusenkyo, lashed downwards enwrapping the man and his daughter in a cocoon of light before pulling away to nothing but blackness. Genma on the other hand had dodged dozens of the lights only for one to lash around his waist pulling through him and leaving a spreading blackness in its place. "POPS!" The scream was wrenched from Ranma's throat as he launched himself forward to grab his father and the lap back to the edge of the spring as golden light rushed inwards. Even in that short a time Ranma saw the blackness had covered nearly half of his father's form. "S-sorry boy. Sorry for everything." Genma managed to gasp it out before the darkness claimed him completely and he vanished from Ranma's arms. "NO!" Jerking back in shock actually saved him as the light that would have curled around his head missed, only for another to lash through his arm at his wrist leaving a strange numbness behind even as he toppled backwards landing in the spring with a splash of water as the golden light washed inwards to meet rising blue mist in a clash of ancient power. 00000000000 Reality Cluster: None Universe Type: Non-existent "Ranma." The whipser floated through darkness. "Ranma." It touched a mind, a mind still reeling in shock from what it had seen but still intact. "You are needed..." The whisper went unheeded as the mind tried to turn away, tried to shut down from the horror it had just faced. "We are sorry this must be done, we know your desire but you must WAKE." The mind tried to pull away again only for images to suddenly flood into it. Ranma woke screaming. His mind filled with countless images of destruction. Golden light washing across the multiverse, devouring all in its path. Uncountable innocents screaming in fear and then silenced as if they had never even existed as planets, solar systems, galaxies and universes alike were wiped from time. "NO! Please, no more!" In an instant the images stopped though he could still recall them, still see the aliens, humans, animals and others who had stared at their skies in fear as the light descended. "We are sorry." The voice sounded weak as if just the actions taken had sapped what little strength it had left. "But you must listen. He will destroy all, devour all. Unless he is stopped." "How?" Ranma's voice was grim, he had just seen his father die. No, not die, he had just seen his father murdered. And yet even in his mind that paled in comparison to the number who had fallen by what was out there. "There is a being." The voice almost sounded wistful "called the Doctor. The enemy took from him his mind, all his memories, all that he is. Because the enemy fears him, you must find him." "Why wouldn't he just kill him?" Ranma wasn't exactly an expert on evil things out to destroy the universe but if he had planned to do something like this he certainly wouldn't let an enemy live, especially one who actually could defeat him. "Because at the end, at the very end when there is nothing left to save the enemy will give him his memories back. So that in those last few moments he can gloat, he can watch the pain in the eyes of the lonely god as the last of the multiverse unravels." The anger in the voice was obvious. "The doctor must be found. We have used the last of our power to bring you here, the last chance to change things. Will you do this? Will you find the Doctor?" It was a question that Ranma didn't even need to take any time thinking about. "Yes." He felt a strange tingling rushing across him. "Can he return what's been taken?" "We do not know, only the Doctor will know what can be done." The voice grew weaker. "Find him, return to him what has been stolen. Be wary shard of chaos, the enemy will sense our involvement and evil will come." Pain lanced through Ranma's brain before spreading to his entire body nearly causing him to scream. "FIND HIM! RELEASE THE ONCOMING STORM!" The shout tore through his mind even as it went dark. 0000000000000 Reality Cluster: 8-08847 Universe Type: Mythical/Magical Wind whispered through grasses, trees, and across the surface of a small pond causing leaves to rustle and small ripples to spread across the ponds surface. The wind also brushed across the form now lying in the grass that was twitching every now and then where it lay before it let out a soft pained moan. The forest quieted as the smaller animals fled or hid in foliage to watch the unknown that had suddenly appeared in their woods. Ranma let out another soft moan as his mind slowly began to clear from the darkness that had closed in on it. The memories where still there, his father being struck by the light and the countless worlds and people devoured by the consuming light and darkness. His eyes cracked open slightly before clenching shut in the face of light shining down from a midday sun that shone in a cloudless sky. He could feel the warmth of the light shining on him as a soft breeze washed over him sending strange tingles across his skin. Opening his eyes slowly to get used to the light he found himself staring at an odd landscape. Sure there were trees and grass and a brilliant blue sky but the colors seemed far more vibrant than he was used to and the world felt strange to his senses. Reaching out with his admittedly still crude ki senses the area around him thrummed with a life he had never felt anywhere on earth. He knew enough from the voice and it's images that earth no longer existed, or at least his earth, so this had to be some other planet or dimension if he was truly off to find this strange Doctor person. It was at that point that he started realize that something was very, very wrong with his body and it was only added to when he lifted his head and looked. "WHAT THE HELL!" The shout echoed out and into the dense forest as the martial artist stared at himself in shock. "I-I'm a freakin horse!" Okay maybe not a horse as he certainly wasn't as big as any horse that he'd seen. It was possible he was some kind of pony though he wasn't even as big as some of them. He was currently trying to decide whether he should panic or go straight to anger when the last day caught up to him and he flopped back on the ground staring up at the sky for a moment. "At least I can talk." Which led to the question of if this world was populated by talking equines, at least that would be interesting. He slowly struggled to roll over and push himself up until he was upright. Strangely it didn't feel as weird as he thought it would and he took a few tentative steps towards the small pond trying to get a feel for walking with four legs. As he moved slowly, practically thinking each step out, he was dimly aware of a part of his mind that thought that his acceptance was likely due to mental shock more than anything. Not that he was a master of martial arts psychology, that was one tough school of martial arts and it focused almost entirely on engaging in mind games with your opponent while fighting. Reaching the pond he stared into it getting his first look at his new body. A dark grey equine stared back at him as he examined his reflection. His ears seemed more pointed than a normal equines and where topped with short tufts of fur, he found he could move them in quite an impressive amount of directions as well as simply pull them flat against his head. It was his eyes that nearly caused him to jump back in fear, the golden eyes with slit pupils looked far to cat-like for his tastes. His night black mane was wild and sticking out in plenty of places and he seemed to have lost the tie he had used in his hair before, not that that was of much interest as he wasn't sure how he'd tie it even if he did have the string. Around his neck hung a silver chain that had a golden hourglass hanging on it. Even as he looked at it he could almost swear he heard whispered words brushing at his ears. Shaking his head he finally twisted around enough to get a look towards his rear enough to see his tail matched his mane in color, and there was something else... "WHY DO I HAVE A TATTOO!" For a second time a loud shout echoed through the forest. 00000000 Everfree forest Water rippled past as the unicorn sat beneath the tree looking out into the forest at the glowing eyes that peered out at her. She had long ago run out of tears to cry and while her stomach rumbled with hunger that hadn't been sated in days she knew it wasn't going to be long before it didn't matter. "Well what are you waiting for?" The mare threw the question at the growling creatures in the trees the bitter sadness in her voice obvious. "Put Trixie out of her misery."