Doctor Whooves Episode 11: Parents' Day

by Doctor Perseus

The Abyss

Chapter 6: The Abyss

Sweet Apple Acres/St. Markus Church, Ponyville/London, Equestria/England, Gaia/Earth, Summer/Autumn, 996 C.E./1987 A.D.

Pete sighed and looked at Rose sadly. He wasn't surprised...but that still didn't make him feel any less worse about the situation. Johnny held Emily close. They didn't want it to be true...but it was.

"So...the only way for everything to return to normal...is if we die?" Emily asked.

"Yes," the Present Doctor replied sadly. Applejack turned to her parents.

"Ah...I'm so sorry about all of this," she said. Emily took Applejack and held her close.

"Don't be sorry, Applejack. You did what you felt was right. I'm glad I was able to see what my Applejack would grow up to become. It's apparent that she's going to grow up into quite an amazing mare."

"Ah love you, Mom. Ah love you, Dad."

Johnny walked over and hugged Applejack too. Rose turned to her father and hugged him.

She looked up at him and said, "I-"

Pete stopped her.

"You don't have to say anything, Rose. It's all said and done," he said. Rose stepped away from her father. Johnny and Emily let go of Applejack and then turned to go say goodbye to the younger Applejack, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom.

"What's going to happen when everything returns to normal?" Derpy asked.

"Everyone and everypony else will forget that any of this happened," the Present Doctor replied. He looked past Rose and his past self just in time to see a shady vision of Rose and the Past Doctor sitting with Pete in one of the church's bleachers. The vision faded soon afterwards. The Doctor looked at Rose and his past self and said, "And you'll forget this too."

"What?" Rose asked. "Why?"

"This was never meant to happen: the collision of our two paradoxes. Something else was meant to happen instead," the Past Doctor replied.

"Correct. I knew there was a reason why I don't remember any of this. Once everything returns to normal, you two and everybody else from the church will return to the moment right before our paradoxes collided. This meeting will have never happened," said the Present Doctor.

"So, when I touch my past self, we won't end up here. Future Doctor, what's going to happen?" Rose asked.

"I think it's clear that you and me are going to make it out alive, and so will everybody else. That's what matters."

The Doctor turned and began walking away. At the last second, he turned back and said, "Rose Tyler, it was a pleasure seeing you again. I...I'm going to continue missing you. I will always miss you...as I will continue to miss everybody else."

He then turned away and walked towards the barn/church doors. Rose was silent. She looked up at her own Doctor but couldn't find any words to say.

"Don't think about the future, Rose," said the Past Doctor. "Let's just try to focus on the present...until we get out of here."

Rose finally managed to say, "But...what he said-"

"Doesn't matter to us anymore. We'll forget all about it once everything is set right."

"I guess you're right."

Johnny and Emily approached the Present Doctor. Pete was standing next to them. The younger Applejack and Big Mac were comforting each other and Apple Bloom in the corner of the barn.

"You're ready?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," replied Johnny, Emily, and Pete with nearly stone-cold expressions. They had no more sadness left to show. The stage of grief had past. It was time for them to set things right.

"How...how are we going to do it?" Johnny choked. The Doctor thought back to how Pete had originally sacrificed himself the first time. The car that had run him over had kept coming back to finish the job. But, this time, there was no car. There was nothing outside the church except a black oblivion and a burning ball of fire. Then it hit him. The ball of fire.

"I think I know how," he replied with a tinge of grief. Suddenly, the entire building shook around them. Holes and cracks began appearing in the walls, floor, and ceiling. Some were normal cracks but others looked out of this world. They emanated a white light that was too bright to look at. The Reapers cried again as they began clawing their way into the barn/church.

"What's happening?!" Rarity shrieked. The building began falling apart all around them.

"This is it! The final merging!" the Past Doctor stated in shock. The floor disintegrated beneath them and everybody and everypony fell down into the dark abyss beneath them.

The army of Reapers went crazy. They scooped up some of the falling humans and ponies and proceeded to devour them. The Present Doctor expected to see the ball of fire beneath him but instead saw bits and pieces of different times and places floating in the abyss. The clock from the London Clock Tower flew by him. He managed to grab onto a chunk of the roof of the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse. Spike landed next to him. Derpy, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and the pegasi known as Sarah were able to stop themselves from falling by flying but the Reapers quickly turned on them.

"Rainbow Dash! Derpy! Fluttershy!" Spike cried. The pegasi tried to escape but the Reapers were too fast. The Doctor watched as more of his friends became meals for the hungry beasts. Twilight landed on a piece of Georgian Road alongside the Past Doctor, Rose, and Pete. Applejack, Johnny, Emily, and the young Mickey Smith had landed on top of a piece of the St. Markus Church roof that was floating a few feet away.

"Duck!" cried the Past Doctor. Two Reapers flew down and snatched up Twilight and Pete.

"No!" Rose cried.

"Twilight!" Spike screamed from above. Applejack was in shock. Was this the end? Would this be the end? Johnny and Emily held onto each other. Mickey began falling off the roof. Applejack rolled over and grabbed onto him.

"Gotcha!" she said. The Reaper that had devoured Twilight turned back and began flying towards Applejack and Mickey. Johnny and Emily looked over the edge. That's when they saw it. Floating far beneath them was a burning grain silo. Fire lapped its sides and plumes of smoke seemed to reach up towards them like the arms of a hungry monster. The two ponies looked at each other and then towards Applejack.

"Will it work?" Emily asked.

"There's only one way to find out," Johnny replied as he kissed her.

"For our children."

"For the world."

Applejack turned back just in time to see her parents jump off the edge of the roof, still holding onto each other. She looked just in time to see the Reaper flying towards her.

"Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad," she said as she closed her eyes and let the Reaper consume her.

The Past Doctor and Spike looked down and watched as Johnny and Emily plummeted towards the burning grain silo.

"This is it," said the Doctor. "Time will either fix itself or we'll be doomed to perish in this dark void."

The Past Doctor held tightly onto Rose.

"Whatever happens, don't let go," he told her.

"Don't worry, I won't," she said back to him. Johnny and Emily looked down. The grain silo was coming up fast. Emily closed her eyes and tightened her grip around her husband. Johnny closed his eyes too and gave his wife one last kiss on the cheek. They didn't feel anything when the fire wrapped around them and removed the life from their bodies.

The Present Doctor and Spike looked as a bright, white light began expanding through the abyss. The Reapers screamed and tried their best to fly away from the light, though it was to no avail. The Past Doctor and Rose held onto each other as the light wrapped around them. The Present Doctor and Spike watched as the light engulfed them. The Doctor closed his eyes. He could feel the clocks going backwards and the cracks mending around them.

"Goodbye, Rose," he whispered to himself before he lost consciousness.

St. Markus Church, London, England, Earth, Autumn, 1987 A.D.

Rose was in tears as she handed the vase to her father. Was this really the only way to fix what she had done? Yes, it was. This truth pained her. She had been so close to having her father forever. If only she hadn't touched her infant self. If only the Reaper hadn't appeared and had devoured the Doctor. That's what this event would be remembered as. It would be just one, giant if only.

"Are you going to be there for me?" Pete asked as Rose handed him the vase. Rose choked through her tears to answer her father.

"Yes! I will!" she cried. Pete placed his hands on Rose's shoulders.

"Thanks for saving me."

Rose then hugged her father for one last time.

The Reapers were still flying around the exterior of the church. Pete, with the vase in hand, ran out and looked up as one Reaper began flying towards him. He turned towards the end of the street to see that familiar, tan car appear out of a golden rip in time and space. He broke into a run. The car was coming up fast. He ran straight into the middle of the intersection. The driver threw out his hand and the car swerved violently.

"Goodbye, love!" said Pete as he closed his eyes and prepared for the impact. The car smashed into his body and the vase fell to the ground with a loud crash.

Rose stood in front of the church. All of the Reapers disappeared in a flash of golden light. She watched as her father lay in the middle of the road. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was the Doctor.

"Go to him. Quick!" he said. Rose took off towards her dying father. The driver of the tan car stood there in shock. Rose knelt down next to Pete and held his hand tightly. Pete gave a small smile before dying in his daughter's arms. As the now alive and well wedding party began coming out of the church to inspect the scene, Rose stood up and silently followed the Doctor back to the TARDIS.

Comments

[DerpyDash2131]

Wow! This Is REALLY good!

[MariusIoannesP]

It's kind of ironic that Johnny and Emily's death to undo the paradox resembles Amy and Rory's death in Angels Take Manhattan to create a paradox to destroy the Weeping Angels.

[Spirit Shift]

and the pegasi known as Sarah were able to stop themselves from falling

i demand to know who that is you named her so she must be important

[IamShadowDash]

Aaandddd I'm crying.