//------------------------------// // Return of the Time Lord // Story: Destiny Book 1: Dark Vengeance // by SirScribe //------------------------------// The wolf sat in front of the TARDIS, taunting the Doctor. She was licking her paw and flicking her tail around, frightening the ponies around her. Celestia and Luna were frozen in fear, but the Doctor was as calm as he could be. He walked down the carpet from the throne to the wolf’s face. She stopped licking her paw and flicked her tail. The cloister bells inside the TARDIS ceased and the red light faded. The doors closed and the Doctor smiled. “BAD WOLF.” Doctor, it is good to see you once again. My my, it has been a while, she said. “Yes, I remember. The Time War above the Earth was the last time, wasn’t it?” I remember Davros’s attempted destruction of the Multi-verse. Those were the good days though, weren’t they? The Doctor grimaced. “I don’t like to remember and I highly doubt they were good times." The BAD WOLF smiled. You don’t have a choice. Behind him, Princess Celestia screamed out. “GUARDS!” Behind the TARDIS, armored Pegasi and Unicorns charged at the BAD WOLF with spears. Earth Pony guards appeared from the two exists near the thrones and charged with armored helmets. The Doctor looked around with eyes wide. “No, DON’T!” It was too late. Once the armed ponies got close, the BAD WOLF’s eyes glowed gold and their spears turned to snakes. The armed ponies dropped the snakes immediately. The Earth Pony guards’ helmets turned into pillows. They hit the BAD WOLF, but the only thing that happened was the room being filled with pillows. Twilight’s jaw hung by the display of magic. The wolf’s magic originated from her eyes, not the horn. The wolf smiled. Looks like my powers still work in this Universe. Fantastic, she said. The Doctor sighed. “Why are you here?” I’m just passing through. I have to return to your Universe to gather the last component to the problem at hand. Although, I’m sure I can obtain what I need here. It took the Doctor a moment to think about it. His eyes widened. “You don’t mean—” The Doctor must return to the Universe. We need you Doctor. The Doctor laughed. “Oh no. No way is that happening. I’m no longer needed in that Universe. I regenerated. My future self is running around in that Universe—” And he needs your help. Celestia’s heart quickened. There is a fluxuation in time. An event that can still go in any direction. An event you want to repeat and this time, you have a third choice. The room was silent. Gallifrey. The fires in the Doctor’s eyes raged. Ditzy walked over to the Doctor with concern in her eyes. “Doctor? Are you alright?” He said nothing. “Doctor? Please say you’re alright.” “But it’s gone. I destroyed Gallifrey in order to stop the Time War. There cannot be a fluxuation in that particular event. It’s a part of my time stream. Interfering in the Time War again would result in me crossing my own time stream. I cannot do that, unless I want the Universe to burn. Besides, there can’t be a third choice,” he said with a cracked voice. Ah, but that is the beauty of being the only Time Lord in existence. It is your words that define the laws of Time and Space. You can cross your own time stream by your word. “No I can’t! Besides, if I could, the war is Time Locked. I won’t be able to intervene due to my people’s own decision to lock the war. I cannot break the lock.” The BAD WOLF smiled. It can be done. I’ve seen it. Gallifrey escaped the Time Lock before, thanks to Lord President and the Master. The Lock was broken by you when you decided to join the fighting. The Lock can be broken. “But I can’t do it alone! I had help, I had resources!” The wolf’s eyes glowed. Dear Doctor, you regret the decision you made all those years ago, don’t you? The Time Lord sighed and nodded. Then you know that somewhere deep down, you had a way to escape it. Either the Universe burns or Gallifrey falls. It is decisions like this that haunt many people and ponies. Princess Celestia faced that fact when Nightmare rose from the dark. Celestia bowed her head in sadness. You faced this decision on Gallifrey, and you chose the same choice Celestia made. For the good of the masses, you chose to cut your heart out. Now, you have a chance to heal. I can send you back to Gallifrey. You can save it. Gallifrey falls no more. Those words rang out to those who understood what the BAD WOLF was talking about. Twilight’s heart pretty much stopped. If what the wolf was saying is true, then the Doctor can heal from his pain. When he talked about crossing his own time stream, however, it made her think back to when she used Starswirl’s Time Spell to tell herself not to worry about the following week (which failed). Perhaps telling that to the Doctor would be a bad idea. Celestia looked over at her sister, who was taking in what the wolf was talking about. Celestia really did have no other choice but to banish Nightmare to the moon, even if she lost her sister in the process. She went over and hugged the princess of the Moon, who returned the display of kindness. The wolf breathed in. If you wish to save Gallifrey, then you will come with me. While you may accept, I must warn you that you cannot fly off still in a pony body. The Doctor laughed. He would meet his future incarnation as a pony while the other would question his sanity, again. “You have a point there. I suppose I can go back and change everything.” I am happy you made that decision. With that, the BAD WOLF smiled and her eyes started to glow once again. This time, the Doctor’s body began to glow like he was regenerating. The flames erupted, but they were gentle this time. The Mane 6 shielded themselves from the fires of the Doctor’s transformation. The flames died down, and in front of the whole of Equestria was not the same brown stallion as before. The creature in front of them was very tall and pink. The creature had enlarged forehooves that had strange digits at the ends of them. His brown fur was replaced by a brown long coat. Underneath the coat was a brown suit and tie with an hourglass tie pin attached to it. The creature’s face was long and narrow. His snout was smaller and his mane was on top of his head. It was still as messy as before. The creature looked down at the digits before him. He smiled as he reached into his coat and pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver. With a quick buzz at the crowd, the Doctor was back. Ditzy flew up to the Doctor’s new face. Instead of keeping her space, the pegasus hugged the Time Lord. The Doctor hugged back. “Oh it’s so good to look like a Time Lord again!” Princess Celestia smiled. “What’s wrong with looking like a pony?” “Well, I grabbed everything with my teeth and probably contracted several diseases, my fear of appearing everywhere in the buff is gone, and I can now grab things like I did before. Oh it feels so good to be back!” the Doctor said. The princesses chuckled. The TARDIS grew to accommodate his new size. The BAD WOLF smiled up at the Time Lord. I must say, I missed this form. And now, dear Doctor, it is time. Gallifrey awaits. The Doctor nodded and kneeled down in front of his friends. “Alright, looks like I’m going away for a little while. Ditzy, take good care of yourself. Celestia, I expect you to be better at chess when I get back, and you Luna—” He pointed at the alicorn “—we got a rematch coming up. Be ready.” The princess of the Night smiled. “Fighting is Magic is my territory, dear Doctor. I’m afraid I must ask you to improve your skills.” The Doctor laughed. “We’ll see.” He turned to the Mane 6. “It’s been a pleasure working with all of you. We made a pretty good team, didn’t we?” The girls all agreed. Pinkie smiled and wiped a tear from a hanky pulled from Rarity’s dress. “We’ll miss ya Doctor!” Rarity looked over. “Pinkie, that goes on my dress!” “Sorry, I’ll put it back.” “Egh, just keep it. It looked rubbish anyway,” she said. The Doctor cracked a smile. While Twilight joined in on the little conversation with Rarity, the Doctor eyed Applejack. With a silent nod, the message was clear. Stay strong. The farm pony nodded in a response and looked back at Twilight. She was going to have a rough next few years. The Doctor turned to the BAD WOLF, who had the doors of the TARDIS opened. I’ve created a pathway to our Universe, Doctor. Once you have completed your mission, you can use the same route to return. He smiled and walked toward the TARDIS. Just before he entered, he turned around to face his friends again. He chuckled as he looked back up at the TARDIS. “Well then, enjoy the celebration! I remember it well. Oh, and lay off the confetti cannons unless you want the fountain to be filled with surprised ponies.” That warning was directed at Pinkie Pie. The Doctor smiled. “Well then, Allons-y!” He closed the doors of the TARDIS. Immediately the engines started to kick up as the wonderful machine began to vanish from the Equestrian throne room. After a few moments, the TARDIS was completely gone, leaving the guards to deal with the snakes that were rudely turned by the BAD WOLF and the graffiti gone from the walls. The Doctor flipped a few switches on the console as the TARDIS flew safely between dimensions. He couldn’t stop looking at his hands as he worked in his wonderful machine. In his mind, he replayed how he would save Gallifrey and what his future self looked like. If he looks like a dork, he was going to lose it. Well, maybe if he was ginger, he wouldn’t mind as much. As he continued to work with the TARDIS, the BAD WOLF stood nearby. She raised her paw at the Doctor’s head. You won’t be going directly to Gallifrey. The Doctor stopped what he was doing. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I needs your help. A group of Zygons have invaded England and are attempting to take control of the planet. You must travel to 1562 and snuff out the Zygons. It is there where your mission begins. You will also have no memory of you ever living in Equestria. Your last memory will be your journey to Mars after Davros’s plot. Best of luck is wished upon you, Doctor. The BAD WOLF lowered her paw. The Doctor shook his head and continued working at the console. With no more items on her agenda, except one more visit, the BAD WOLF vanished.