When Luna was a filly, she had a series of nightmares that made her too terrified to go to sleep. So help arrives from a blue box from a staillon who calls himself "Doctor" along with a pony who she once thought was imaginary.
In Equestria's early history, years before Luna had become a princess like her sister, ever before she gotten her cutie mark, she was once plagued with nightmares. She wanted to sleep without these monsters and demons to haunt her. Help does come in a blue box, from a stallion who calls himself "Doctor", with is assistance, and a pony whom everyone thought was Luna's imaginary friend.
Author's note: I do not own any rights to "Doctor Whooves and Assistant" by the fantastic YouTube radio drama series by Ponies with Pockets Productions aka PrierceSmoulder. This story is a tribute to their series that get's better and better with every video.
Also, a huge thank you to SecretBrony01 for editing this.
It was the sound of metal scratching the stone floor that made Luna open her eyes. It was coming from outside of her closed door. Out of fear, she used her magic to lock the door. The monster was coming and she knew it. With the blankets and sheets that covered everything except her head, she tried to stay quiet.
The scratching sound stopped at her door. She watched as the handles on the door tried to turn, even shake violently. But then it went quiet for a moment until came the rapped tapping on her door, followed by a voice. A malicious voice said: “Little pony, little pony, let me in.”
The young Luna was shaking.
“What's that?” Asked the voice, “Not by the hair of your chinny chin chin?”
Then behind the door, she heard something very sharp being picked up from the stone floor.
“Alright then.” The voice said, “Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!”
And with that, came one bang after another. Now Luna was crying out for help, she was terrified now. She saw the door to her room now had the blade of an ax. The filly was crying, begging for the intruder to go away, but the hole in her door kept getting wider with every swing the intruder took.
In that hole, she saw a darkened face with glowing eyes of yellow and red.
“Oh Luna,” -the intruder said her name in a musical tone- “did you miss me?”
“SISTER! SOMEPONY! HELP!”
“LUNA! WAKE UP!”
The young princess-to-be woke up to her sister. Luna was shaken by the dream, of course, so much so, she clanged onto her sister, “Please Celie,” -she begged- “don't make me go asleep again.”
“What's going on?” The young sisters turned to the voice. There in the doorway was their maid, she was wiping the sleep from her eyes. “It's almost four in the morning.”
“Lula had another nightmare.” The young newly princesses said. Her pink mane and tail were unkempt, more signs she too was woken up.
“Again? Lulu, that has got to be the 14th time this month. We're getting you a doctor.”
“But-”
“No buts. You're not getting enough sleep, I'm getting you to help first thing in the morning.”
“But what about the nightmares?” Luna whined.
“If you want,” -Celestia offered- “I'll sleep with you tonight.”
“I'm not a baby anymore!”
“But you're still afraid of sleeping alone, aren't you?”
“Well-”
“I'm going back to bed.” their maid said, “Good night girls.” Then she walked away, closing the intact doors behind her.
“I'm tired Luna,” Celestia said with a yawn. She got onto the bed.
“But sis, I don't want to back go to sleep. Can't you just raise the sun?”
“It's too early for that, and I'm too tired.” By now, she was under the covers. “And I'll be right here if you need me.”
“But I need you to keep me awake.”
Her older sister shook her head. “You need sleep Lu, and so do I.” She turned off the lights in the room and like that, her sister was asleep.
Luna wrapped a foreleg around her, she was still too afraid to go asleep. She did not want to see those monsters and demons that have been coming to her. But as time went on, her eyes had forced itself to shut. Maybe she can just rest her eyes for just a moment.
'Tap'
Just for a minute.
'Tap. Tap.'
A small rest.
'Tap Tap Tap.'
Not for very long-
'TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP!'
She opened her eyes to see that the loud taping was now coming from all of her windows, where she saw nothing but blackness and those glowing eyes. Angry, bloodthirsty, vengeful eyes were staring at her. The windows were being pounded all around her, she looked to her sister she hoped would be beside her – she wasn't.
“SOMEPONY! SAVE ME FROM THESE MONSTERS!!!”
_*_
Somewhere in the vast fabric of space and time, there was a blue box that's known to some as the TARDIS. And inside this wonderful blue box, were three ponies. One is a gray pegasus mare with a blond mane, has bubbles as her cutie mark and golden derped eyes. One is an orange unicorn stallion with a red mane with green eyes and gears as a cutie mark; who is scarily seen without his goggles. And one is a brown earth pony stallion with a darker brown mane, blue eyes and always has a green tie with a white collar.
To both the Pegasus and unicorn, they know a few small things about the earth pony. Such as he's an alien, is a time traveler, he's simply called the “Doctor”, and to say he's talkative is an understatement.
“I wonder if they have the Urtoill's in this universe?” Oh, and apparently he's from a different universe. “What they lack in driving skills they certainly make up for in hospitality. They have without a doubt the best- hold on.” The Doctor reached into his pockets to get out his psychic paper, there was a message in which he read aloud: “Somepony. Save me from these monsters... Ditzy, Tick Tock, we're going to make a detour.”
The Doctor went over to the panel in the center of the room.
“What are you doing?” Tick Tock asked.
“We're going to make a house call.”
“House call?” Ditzy asked.
“My psychic paper received a message. It must be someone that's incredibly afraid, and to send out a message like this though time and space must be very powerful. And from my experience, someone who's very powerful and very scared is never a good combination must be dealt with immediately. Now let me get the exact concordance... There you are! Now then, AVANTI!” and with that, the machine sprang to life.
_*_
“I'm okay!” Ditzy said after the TARDIS had tossed them around, she was hanging on to some wires from the ceiling.
“Doctor, do you mind trying to warn us next time?” Tick Tock crawled out underneath a pile of parts.
“And where's the fun in that?” The doctor asked then turned back to the monitors. “Let's see. We're in... the Everfree forest? And in Equestria's really early history? What are we doing-”
There was a knock at the TARDIS doors.
“Um, Doctor, I didn't know you had visitors.” Said Ditzy after getting untangled from the wires.
“I don't. Ditzy wait! I don't know if-”
But before he could say anything else, Ditzy opened the door. There she saw a mare, she had a pale yellow coat with a golden curly mane and tail with blue eyes.
“Oh hello there! Excuse me, but is-” Then the mare looked pasted Ditzy and saw the Doctor at the panel.
“Hello, sweetie.” The Doctor froze for a moment. That voice. He knew that voice anywhere.
“River?” he asked.
“Of course.” She said as she walked passed by a now stunned Ditzy. “Who else were you expecting? Santa Clause?”
“River?”
She smiled, “Oh enough about me, look at you!” She said as she circled around the Doctor. “Even as a pony, you are still adorable.”
“Um, pardon me miss,” -Tick Tock ventured- “but who exactly are you, and how do you know the Doctor?”
“The name's River. River Song. And you?”
“Tick Tock. Nice to meet your acquaintance.”
“And what's your name?” She asked the pegasus who was getting a hold of herself again.
“Uh, m-my name's Ditzy Do.”
“Awe, what an adorable name.”
“River, how long have you been here?” the Doctor asked.
“Give or take five minutes, you?”
“A while. So what brings you here?”
“Oh the usual, broke out of prison, stolen an escape pod that had faulty wiring, crashed into a castle, regenerated, got chased by ponies in armor and found your ship. So how was your day?”
But before the Doctor could say anything further, there was a knock on the door, followed by: “IN THE NAME THE PRINCESS, OPEN UP!”
“So I'm in a universe where magical talking ponies with pockets runs everything?” River asked, “Okay, that's new.”
The four of them have already stepped out of the TARDIS, and now with a heavily guarded escort, were lead towards the castle with smoke coming out of it.
“Something isn't right.” Ditzy said, “Where did you say we were again?”
“The Everfree forest.” the Doctor answered.
“This is the Everfree forest?”
“Yes.”
“It can't be.”
“And why not?” Tick Tock asked.
“I mean, look at this place, it looks more like a garden then a creepy forest.”
The forest they were in wasn't the dark and chaotic forest when the Doctor first came in. It was full of light and tamed, like an expensive painting that belongs to a famous museum. There were no signs of dangerous wildlife like timberwolves or snakes or anything of the sort. If anything, this forest was welcoming and safe.
“With time, everything eventually changes.” River told Ditzy.
“Excuse me River,” -Tick Tock said- “You still haven't answered my other question, how did you know the Doctor?”
“I'm not sure you'll believe me if I told you.”
“Try us.” Both Ditzy and Tick Tock said at the same time.
“I'm his wife.”
If it weren't for the guards to keep them moving, they would have stopped to register what was just heard.
“You're his... what?” Ditzy asked.
“His wife. Which reminds me, as soon as we stop somewhere, we need to figure out where in the book we are.”
“What book?” Tick Tock asked.
“I'll show you later.”
_*_
If there was anything that Ditzy know about the Doctor, was that if he wasn't talking very much, something was not right. Along the way from the ship to the castle, the Doctor didn't say much other than giving a short explanation of their world to this mysterious pony.
As she noticed, the Doctor seemed not his usual curious excitable self, but he seemed, somber, almost borderline sad.
When they came to the castle, other then the smoke coming out of one side of it, the castle looked oddly familiar to Ditzy, except, she couldn't put her hoof on why.
They were taken to the throne room, inside were many ponies there, most of whom were nobles, servants, guards or advisers. But at the end of the room, there was a single throne, and on this throne, was a very young mare with a pink mane. If one didn't know any better, one might say that she's a young teenager.
“Your majesty,” -one of the guards said- “we've captured the mare who crashed into the royal suites along with her accomplices.”
“Excuse me!” the Doctor interjected. There was a short argument, which came to an end at the word: “SILENCE!!!” They turned to Celestia. “Now that I have your attention, I would like to hear from them before I pass judgment. First of all, what are your names?”
“River Song.”
“Ditzy Do.”
“Tick Tock.”
“The Doctor.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow and tilt her head to the side: “A doctor who, and of what?”
“Just, the Doctor. And I'm a doctor of, well, everything.”
“Next question: who crashed into the royal suites and why?”
“That's partly my fault your highness.” River said giving a bow. “I can assure you, it was an accident on my part.”
“Where did you come from?”
“That depends.”
“On?”
“Do you want the simple answer or the real answer?”
“What's the difference?”
“One of them you can clearly understand.”
“Just give me an answer.”
“My ship fell from the sky and crashed into your Majesty's palace.”
Celestia blinked. “A ship, that fell from the sky? That is by far the strangest excuse I've ever heard by far.”
“It is not an excuse, my ship (what remains of it) is proof of that.”
Celestia was about to ask another question, then came a familiar voice, “Sister?” She turned to her right to find Luna entering the room. The four took notice of her as she entered the room. She was much younger than her sister. Her messy mane and tale as a pale blue, her small wings on her side looked ruffled, and her eyes had dark bags. But what the Doctor, Ditzy and Tick Tock did not expect, was that she had no cutie mark on her.
“Yes, Luna? I'm a little busy at the moment.”
“But Celie, what about...” the young Luna trailed off at what she was about to ask. For now, that question was lost when she saw River.
“R-River? Is that you?” Luna asked as she approached the pony in question. “Am I not dreaming? Is it really you?”
“Uh, I'm sorry but, who are you exactly?”
“Don't you even remember me? It's me, Luna, remember?”
“Luna, what are you talking about?” Celestia asked.
“Don't you remember River Song? My “imaginary friend” you called her a long time ago?” Luna asked her sister.
“Luna, I think you must be mistaken-”
“But I'm not!” Luna whined. “It's her! It's really her! I can prove it!” She went up to River.
“River, do you have your little blue book?”
“How did you-”
“Just open to page 218, it's the one that tells how you and your husband escaped from natives from being sacrificed to rain gods.”
River, not letting her eyebrow down, sat on her haunches and reached in to retrieve her book. And sure enough, on page 218 was the day of that one date that nearly gotten them sacrificed. “Luna, sweetie, how did you know that?”
“I asked you to read me an adventure story. Like the time you told me the one about how you rescued a queen because she turned into a goldfish on another planet. Don't you even- oh.” Luna said with realization. “That right, your a time traveler aren't you?”
“Um, yes?”
“Maybe... Is this the day that you've first meet me?”
After talking to the Doctor, the solar monarch made a deal with him. That she will pardon him, his companions and his wife from the accounts of trespassing, damage to royal property and vandalism if they can somehow cure her sister of her nightmares. But until they succeed, they shall be kept under a watchful eye of the royal guards.
What his companions found interesting about this very young Luna, was despite living in a castle that has many darken hallways, Luna was what one might call, a scaredy cat. Literally, everything that moved or made the slightest sound made her jump. She always stayed close to River, hiding behind her from everything.
The very first place they headed towards for their investigation was Luna's room. The stony room had what any other child had. A blue bed with curtains to match, a toy chest, a vanity table with a mirror, and scattered all along the floor here and there were piles of paper, pencils and a wide range of chalk in many different colors.
“Well then,” -the Doctor said looking at the drawings- “I think we're getting somewhere.”
“I didn't know you drew, Princess.” Tick Tock said picking up a drawing of what was outside her window.
“I'm not a princess.” Luna said melancholy, “I don't even have my cutie mark.”
“A cutie mark?” River asked. Luna was taken aback from her question.
“Don't you know what a cutie mark is?” she asked. River tilts her head to the side. “I just got her less than an hour ago and I've been given a brief explanation of what your, uh, planet is like.”
“Oh, well, a cutie mark tells what your special talent is,” Luna said. “In fact, you've got a cutie mark.”
“Where?”
“On your flank silly.”
River looked around her and, sure enough, on both sides on her flank on her new pony body. “A blue question mark? Huh, how fitting.”
“Excuse me Luna.” the Doctor said, getting their attention. “Do you ever draw out your dreams?”
“Sometimes.”
“Do you still have those drawings?”
Luna nodded. “I put them in the bottom of the toy box.”
“I'll get it!” Ditzy said, opening up the chest. Underneath some wooden toys and hoof stitched dolls, she found what they were looking for. She picked them up with her teeth and spread the drawings on the floor.
Although the drawings were crude, each picture was drawn in mostly black chalk with glowing eyes in reds, yellows, and greens. Some portray veracious animals, others were very tall and wore cloaks. Some had horns, others had bat wings and so on. Yet what all of them had in common is that behind all of them, there's a dark gray mist that spiraled and curved around these nightmarish drawings.
“Well, well. Tim Burton eat your heart out.” River said aloud. Ditzy, Tick Tock and Luna looked at her confused.
It was Ditzy who asked the question on their minds: “A Tim what?”
River shook her head: “Never mind, he was an artist that I used to know. But as of right now, we've got work to do.”
“Agreed.” said the Doctor, quickly looking through the drawings. “So Luna, how long have you had these dreams.”
“For fifteen nights straight.”
“And have you've seen anything unusual?”
“Like what?”
“Oh weird things, like flashing lights, shadows, disembody voices, things like that.”
“Well I, don't think so.”
“Or has anyone disappeared lately?”
“Not that I know of.”
“So it's only just dreaming then?”
Luna nodded. The doctor then took out his sonic screwdriver. “Fascinating. Now Luna, this here is-”
“A sonic screwdriver,” Luna said, which took both the Doctor and River by surprise.
“How did you know that?” the Doctor asked.
“Um... I–I can't really tell you.”
“And why not?” River asked.
“Uh, spoilers?” Luna said adding an uneasy smile.
“Okay then. Anyway,” -the Doctor continued- “what I'm going to do is simply scan you to see if there's anything wrong. Don't worry, you won't feel a thing.” The doctor did scan the young Luna, when he looked at the results, the only thing he could say was: “Oh...”
“Oh?” Ditzy asked, “What kind of “Oh” are we talking here? Is it “Oh that's interesting” or “Oh that's bad”?”
“Both. It says that Luna has more than one consciousness. She has several- no! Many. Luna, please hold still.” And with that, the Doctor put both of his hooves on the sides of her head. Both he and Luna closed their eyes. Within a few seconds later, the Doctor quickly drew away from Luna.
“Oh no. Oh no, this is not good! Not good at all!”
“Doctor, what did you just do?” Tick Tock asked.
“I entered Luna's mind for just a moment, now I can see what we're dealing with. I've only heard of these in a few legends, but I never imagine we would encounter them until now.”
“D-Doctor, what are you talking about?” Luna asked, “You're scaring me.”
“Actually my dear, when there's a small army of Hunllefau's that is just waiting for you to go to sleep, you've had every reason to be afraid.”
“The what?”
“I've heard of this legend too.” River said, “Although the name itself does variate from planet to planet, basicly it is said that these were spirits that feed off of fear by giving nightmares. The more they feed off of that fear (or well, any kind of negative emotion that produces fear) the more they act like a parasite. Where in the end, they just take control of the victim to spread more fear.”
“Yes, but they only can give nightmares when they are asleep, until then, they can't do anything until they feed off enough fear to take control.” The Doctor said with an agreement. “But with Luna, this isn't your average feeding frenzy, this is a full out war that's going inside her head every night. Each and every Hunllefau is fighting for supremacy over the others to gain absolute control of Luna. Tick Tock, I'm going to need your expertise.”
“Expertise for what?”
“We are going to invent a machine that links conciseness several millenniums early.”
“Excuse me, Doctor,” -Tick Tock said as he, the Doctor, and a few guards entered the TARDIS for both the purpose of getting out supplies from the ship and keeping an eye on them- “don't think of me as intruding when I ask this, but would you mind explain about this “wife” of yours?”
“Why would you want to know? And please don't touch that!” the last sentence was to a guard who was near the panel.
“Well, Doctor. Neither I or Ditzy ever thought that you're married. Given the profession that you have.”
“We'll need these wires. Plenty of wires, and some of these too.” Said the Doctor as he picks up the bits and pieces over the guards. “I didn't think it was that important to mention it.”
“But since your wife is indeed here, I ought to think this is the perfect time to mention that.”
_*_
“River, can I ask you something?” Luna asked. River and Ditzy were still with Luna in her room, waiting for the Doctor and Tick Tock to return.
“Yes, dear?”
“That stallion with an hourglass cutie mark. Is he really the Doctor from your stories? Who has a blue box that's much bigger on the inside?”
River nodded. “Oh yes. The very same Doctor that I know.”
“So, what's the blue book for?” Ditzy asked.
River holds up the book in question: “This thing here is a diary. Since because I'm a time traveler, I and my husband tend to meet up at different periods in our lives. So I write in this to prevent a few paradoxes. But enough about me, let's talk about you two. So Ditzy, how long have you known the Doctor?”
“For quite a while.”
“And what about the red-haired unicorn?”
“Tick Tock? He's been traveling with us just recently. Having a few adventures here and there.”
“So, has the Doctor told you why your traveling with him?”
“Well, it's because I was the very first pony he's ever met when he came here.”
“And what about Tick Tock?”
“Well, he's really smart. He has invented several things ahead of his time like he made the can opener before the can.”
“Really? Using what?”
Ditzy shrugged, “I don't know, whatever he can get his hooves on. I guess.”
“So he's a ponyfied version of MacGyver?”
“What?”
“Never mind. Luna, what about you?”
_*_
“Yes, we'll need that too.” Tick Tock answered the guard before putting the parts for a primitive battery into his bags. He turned back to the Doctor: “So let me get this straight, your wife is a time travel too, but the last time you saw her was at a place called the singing towers, which was an event in her timeline right before she died?”
“Yes.”
“And the reason you're not exactly your eccentric self is that you thought you would never see her again, correct?”
“Quite. I didn't expect her to end up here at all.”
“And Doctor, there's something about her that has been bothering me.”
“What is it?”
“When she first got her, she said that she escaped from prison. Why was she in prison to begin with?”
_*_
“So Ditzy, what do you think of the Doctor?”
“Other then he talks a lot?”
“Oh, he's talkative this time?”
Ditzy tilt her head to the side: “This time?”
“Oh, I remember!” Luna squeaked, “Every time the Doctor dies, he turns into somepony else.”
“No,” -said River- “close but no. Neither of us actually dies, it's when we're really hurt, every last cell in our bodies get replaced. That, and we get a slight change in personality but still keep the same memories as before. I've actually met his first nine selves before.”
“Really, what were they like?” Ditzy asked, now intrigued.
“The first was boring; the second I didn't like at all; third was fun to talk to; fourth was okay except he had a scarf obsession; fifth was alright; sixth was completely bonkers with a look that he was a clown thrown into a woodchipper; seventh was alright for being surprisingly Scottish; eighth was very elegant and cultured; and ninth, well, let's just say we didn't get along very well.”
As River was talking, she noticed that one of Ditzy's eyes was twitching.
“Are you alright dear?”
“Yeah. I am.”
It didn't take River very long to put the pieces together, the devastated way she asked to confirm she's married, the fact she's the first to jump into something when the Doctor asked, and now the twitch. “Ditzy,” -she said- “are you jealous of me?”
The pegasus was caught off completely by surprise prove it further. “What! Me? Jealous? I-I'm not jealous. Who's jealous? I-I mean, why would I?”
River and Luna looked at each other. “She's jealous.” they both said.
“I AM NOT!!!”
_*_
“That should be everything.” The Doctor said he put the last piece in the oversized bags. “Now back to the castle everyone.”
The guards struggled to walk from the heavy loads on their backs as the four of them made their way back to the castle.
“So if River is actually innocent, why did she keep returning to prison?”
“Would it surprise you that there are some out there that want me dead.”
“Not really.”
“She kept returning to prison for my safety. To convince the ones who sent her to kill me think that I'm dead. But in her timeline now, it looks like she hasn't been pardoned yet.”
“So is this her first escape from prison then?”
“Of course not! She and I used to go on dates now and then, like that picnic in Asgard. Or visiting Easter Island (that was an interesting one). But I never expected she would end up here of all places.”
“Perhaps now you need to spend as much time as you can with her.” Tick Tock suggested.
The Doctor nodded. “Especially for how we're going to help Luna. So come on then! The sun's going down!”
For a few hours, the Doctor and Tick Tock worked to fashion a machine that connects dreams from what they had and from whatever they could find. Since they arrived at a time where the very idea of electricity hasn't even thought up yet, they had to reinvent the battery. As well as something that even Tick Tock couldn't think possible, a kind of computer that links consciousness together.
However, the Doctor did find one little problem with the machine. There was a chance that the machine could possibly short circuit given the only tools and limited materials are given. They needed the machine along with the battery to go smoothly in order for their plan to work.
As night approached, Luna was getting more and more anxious. Soon it will be bedtime, where the nightmares will surely return.
Both River and Ditzy noticed this.
“Is something wrong Luna?” Ditzy asked.
“It's almost night time,” Luna said looking at the sunset. The but the way she said it was with a sense of dread.
“I thought you adore the night.”
Luna shook her head. “Not really. I'm always scared of a lot of things, especially at night.”
“I always found nighttime beautiful, no matter what part of the universe I'm in.” River said giving a smile.
“I wish I was brave like you,” Luna said, looking up to River.
River, however, shook her head. “I wasn't always brave.” This took Luna completely by surprise.
“You weren't?!”
“Ha. Oh yes, I remember a time when I was afraid of the dark too, with everything in it. But one day, I had to change. I had to change everything about myself, even how I view bravery. You see, dear Luna, being brave isn't about being scared of nothing.”
“It isn't!”
River shook her head: “Being brave is about being scared. It's the willingness to still keep going while being afraid is bravery.”
“But, you don't ever seem to be afraid.”
“I'm very good at hiding my emotions sweetie.”
Luna went quiet for a moment until Ditzy thought of something. She asked: “Luna, what do you think about the moon?”
“The moon?”
“Are you afraid of it too?”
Luna shook her head. “I'm not afraid of the moon. I may not like the night very much, but at least I like the moon. On some nights, it's like a big light that keeps all the monsters away.”
“And do you control the moon Luna?”
“No. There's a bunch of unicorns that raise and lower the moon. They used to do the same for the sun until Celie learned how to all by herself. I can't raise the moon, but, I'm learning how to though.”
“Here we are!” The three turned to the voice to find the Doctor and Tick Tock wheeling in the machine on a small cart.
“What's that thing?” Luna asked pointing at the machine.
“This is going to help you sleep better.” The Doctor replied.
Luna stepped closer to the machine with wires sticking out. “What is it suppose to do?”
“In short, it links dreams.” The Doctor said lifting up a piece of headgear with wires attached.
“Is it safe?”
“Of course it's safe. Mmmostly..”
“I don't know...”
“Don't worry about it too much,” said River approaching the Doctor, “I'm sure he knows what he's doing, right darling?” She gave him a quick kiss on the muzzle.
From the corner of her eye, Luna noticed Ditzy's eye twitched.
_*_
“Do I have to sleep?” Luna asked. By now, the Doctor was putting the last headgear on her. It was decided that the Doctor and River were the ones who will be going inside Luna's dreams. Tick Tock and Ditzy were to remain awake in case something does go wrong.
“Well, if we're going to get rid of those nasty nightmares, it's vital that you go to sleep.”
“B-But what if something goes wrong?”
“My assistance will be right here to wake us up at the first sign of trouble.”
“What was that about trouble?” They turned to the voice they haven't heard since this morning. Celestia was standing in the doorway. “And may I ask what are you doing with my sister?”
“Good evening your highness, we're about to enter Luna's dreams.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Entering my sister's dreams? Doctor, forgive me for pointing this out, but entering another pony's dream is impossible.”
“Not with this.” Said the Doctor putting a hoof on the machine. Celestia still had her eyebrow up. “This, thing, is going to cure my sister of nightmares?”
“I'm very certain of it.”
“You're mad.”
“Thank you. Isn’t this exciting?” the Doctor asked with a grin.
“Sister,” Luna spoke up, “the thing is on, and I don't feel anything.”
Celestia sighed, “I take it that you want me to sleep with you again tonight?”
“I don't think that would be needed,” Tick Tock said.
Celestia hummed in thought, and then, to everyone's surprise, her horn glowed to pick up another piece of headgear.
“Sister, what are you doing?”
“I've decided to join in this. And before you ask why, I shall tell you. I do have doubts about this contraption, that if it doesn’t work, these ponies will still have to pay for what they are charged with. But, if by the off chance that this thing does, in fact, work, that I too would be able to enter into your dreams, they will have to deal with a very powerful alicorn.”
“So I take it that there's no sense talking you out of it?” Ditzy asked as the raiser of the sun put the headgear on her head like a crown. Celestia shook her head.
_*_
When Celestia opened her eyes, she still saw that she was still in Luna's room. But as she looked around the darkened room, something seemed off. At first, she couldn't put her hoof on it, until she noticed what was missing. The machine, along with two other ponies were gone.
“Luna, Doctor, River, wake up.”
They did awake, the Doctor took one look around and smiled.
“Ah-ha! It worked!”
“Wait-a-minute,” said Luna in alarm, “am I dreaming?”
“Must be,” said River, “The machine is gone, along with Ditzy and Tick Tock.”
Then, they all heard a sound. They couldn't make out what it was at first, but soon they realized it was the sound of claws scratching. It started from her bedroom door (in which Luna immediately locked) but the scratching traveled from the walls to the floor and even to the ceiling. But soon enough, more scratches could be heard from different places at the same time.
“Oh no!” said Luna, who was now trembling under her blankets, “They're back!”
Celestia, River and the Doctor were now on high alert. Now all around them, scratch marks were appearing all over the room. No matter what the material was, stone, wood or glass, scratch marks appeared to be multiplying and getting bigger by the second.
The Doctor, River, and Celestia were forced to hop onto the bed which was the only thing in the room that wasn't getting the scratches. Now all around them, the scratches became holes that were big enough for dark appendages to stick though. They were seeing claws and angry eyes that peered through.
“Alright, sweetie,” River said, “any ideas?”
“Yes,” Celestia piped up, “do you have a plan, or do you make it up as you go?”
The Doctor went up the edge of the bed. “Good evening Hunllefau's, my name is the Doctor, and we're here to help all of you.”
There was a collective laugh that was heard. Ranging from the laughter of an infant to the chuckles of elders, from innocent laughter to demonic bellows. Then, as if there were many voices from many others, spoke at the same time: “Help? Why would you ever want to help any of us?”
“Because you're hungry, lost and overall desperate and I have an alternative option. All that I ask of all of you is please leave her alone.”
“What option?” they asked.
“The machine that links our consciousness to Luna's has a storage space. I can transport all of you to a place where you can feed without harming anyone else.”
They heard laughter again: “Are you implying that we leave? Why should we leave? Have you ever taken a sniff of this planet? Let alone the child? There's so much juicy fear amongst these creatures. And the child is just the start. Oh, and, Your Majesty,” they all said mockingly, “we're afraid to inform you, that your reign has come to an end!” More laughing.
“ENOUGH!” Celestia said taking to the air. “I shall let none of you ever harm my sister, my subjects, or my world while I'm around! If you want to get to her, you have to go through me!”
“As you wish, Your Majesty!” They all said. Suddenly, the claws descend quickly upon Celestia. They grabbed her wings, her neck, and even a leg and pulled her up to the ceiling. She tried to use her magic, but she was caught off guard when a claw grabbed her horn. The ceiling cracked even further as her body slammed into it. As the cracks circled around her, she tried to struggle out of their grasp, until the ceiling gave in, and she was pulled into the pitch black darkness.
“CELESTIA!!!” Luna cried out. And from there, the claws reached out from all around them. They grabbed River and the Doctor as well. River was pulled through a window, the Doctor through the floor.
Now, all alone, and beyond terrified, she saw the claws come after her.
“LUNA! WAKE UP!”
She awoke being shaken by Ditzy. “Oh, thank goodness you're awake!”
“Huh?” Despite being shaken and woken up sweating, Luna looked around her. Other than Ditzy and Tick Tock that were awake, she noticed that the Doctor, River, and even her sister who was next to her, hasn't woken up.
She noticed something else about them, while still being asleep, they twitched and their faces twisted from one uncomfortable look to another.
“What's wrong with them?” Luna asked, “Haven't you tried to wake them up?”
“We tried.” Ditzy said trying to hold back tears, “They can't wake up.”
Nopony in the room had any idea what to do. Luna at this point was too shaken to go back to sleep. And without the help of the Doctor, both Ditzy and Tick Tock were now lost.
Whenever something goes so wrong and so quickly, one cannot help but feel hopeless. The worst has happened and none of them had any ideas how to fix it. It is in a moment like this, a spark of inspiration is critically needed.
Luna looked out of one of her windows and saw the moon overhead. Asking herself over and over: “What would River do?” Then she remembered what River said about being brave, and something that she heard River said long ago. Back at a time when River came now and then when she was alone. She muttered herself what River once told her: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that.”
She looked back up to the moon again, looking at what that glowing orb in the sky meant to her. It was such a moment, that she got an idea. She would attempt the impossible. No. Something very, very difficult. Yet, not entirely impossible either.
“I know what to do,” she said aloud. This gotten both Ditzy and Tick Tock's attention.
“Do what?” Tick Tock asked.
“I have to go and get them back.”
Ditzy and Tick Tock looked at each other then back at the blue alicorn again. “How?” they asked.
“I'm going to try something,” Luna said as she approached the machine. “I don't know if it'll work, but my sister is with those monsters. I know what I'll have to do. I have to save her. I have to save them.”
“But aren't you afraid?” Ditzy asked.
“I am. I'm really really scared. But just because I'm scared, doesn’t mean I can't do something about it.”
“Well, are you going to need this?” Tick Tock said as his horn glowed to lift Luna's headgear. But Luna shook her head.
“What I'm going to do, I don't think I'll need it. And one more thing,” -She turned to both of them- “if none of us come back, or if, I don't come back, tell everypony, I'm sorry – I tried.”
“Luna-” both of them said, but before they could say anything further, Luna's horn glowed. She closed her eyes and let her magic envelop her, and then before she vanished from sight, they saw Luna opened her eyes to reveal a white glowing light.
When Luna opened her eyes, she saw that she wasn't in her room, or anywhere else she recognized. It was as if she was in the night sky but very up-close. She saw stars that were all around her some were white, others were red. The three stars that were in front of her were in a very deep red color. It didn't take her long to guess what they were.
She went up to one of them and touched them. As soon as she did, she was enveloped in that red light. After blinking a few times, she looked around as to where she was.
Fortunately or unfortunately, she knew exactly where this nightmare is taking place and even whose it was. She was in their old home they once lived. She can hear shouting coming from upstairs. Worse yet, she knew who that voice belonged to.
She trod up the stairs to their old room. There in the open doorway was her sister in a corner of the room. And there in front of her, was the one pony they thought they would never see again. Even though he was charred from head to hoof, his mane blacken and even his wings (what was left of them) was on fire, his voice and what remained of his cutie mark was unmistakably their father.
“.... AND YOU JUST LEFT ME TO DIE THERE!!! Hasn't your mother ever taught either of you girls ANYTHING!!!”
Luna, uncertain what to do, scanned the room for something. Then she spots the little cast iron shovel that was used to move hot coals by the fireplace. With her magic, she picked it up. She gave the battle cry of: “YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!” and as hard as she could, hit him over the head with the shovel. As she did so, she noticed two things at once: first, the shovel took a chunk of the charred head off, in which she saw nothing but ash and vanes of fire; the other, was as her shovel past him, she and Celestia saw the waves that surround her like a kind of shield.
“Celie! Run!” Luna cried out as she saw his father's eyes that glow red like coals. Her older sister made a mad gallop out of the room along with her sister, she slammed the door and locked it, but even then, the wooden door was beginning to burn. They ran downstairs and try every door they knew to get out, but as they found, all the doors that lead outside were locked. Then they heard their old door braking, along with a shout from their father.
Thinking quickly, she motions her sister to the kitchen. Sure enough, in their kitchen was an oven they once baked bread in. An oven big enough for a pony or two to crawl in. And sure enough, when the door was open, they saw a fire was still going.
“YOU'RE GETTING A BEATING FOR DOING THAT YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!” Yelled their father as he made his way down the stairs. They got a hold of as many pots and pans that they could find. Their father came rushing in, only to be greeted with pots and pans beating him. He was backed towards the open oven door. And then, with a few hits of the pans, he was knocked right into the oven, where Luna slammed the door and Celestia locked it. For a moment, there was screaming and soon, nothing.
The sisters let the pots and pans dropped. They stood there taking in deep breaths.
“Celie,” Luna said, “I think it's time for you to wake up now.”
“What?”
“You were having a nightmare, but that nightmare is over. So please sis, wake up.”
The room, if not the house seemed to shake, and Luna was picked up by an unseen force away from her sister and was engulfed in white light.
A few blinks later, she saw that she was back to those stars again. This time, she saw that instead of three red stars, one of them was white and it grew smaller and smaller until it was gone.
She guessed that her sister was now awake, so she reached out and touched the next red star.
After blinking a few times, she examined her new surroundings. This time, it was completely unfamiliar to her. She was inside a dimly lit hallway of gray walls and metal bars. Was this a prison? Why was she in a prison?
“Tick tock, goes the clock,” from one end of the hallway, she heard someone singing. As if a child was singing a nursery rhyme. “And what then shall we see? Tick tock, until the day, that thou shalt marry me.”
She went towards the voice. Noting along the way that in the limited light through the bars, there was nopony in the cells.
“Tick tock, goes the clock, he cradled and he rocked her. Tick tock goes the clock, even for the Doctor.” The singing grew louder as she drew closer. But every step, it’s as if the voice was somehow multiplying.
“Tick tock, goes the clock, he cradled and he rocked her. Tick tock goes the clock, ‘til River kills the Doctor.”
What? Killed the Doctor? What does that suppose to mean?
“Tick tock goes the clock;” the voices now sang louder than ever, “he gave all he could give her. Tick tock goes the clock, now prison waits for River.”
The singing stopped when she reached a particular cell. Sure enough, there was River. But right away, she noticed two very odd things. For one, the door to the cell was open. And River was covered in marks that looked like black lines. There were many of them that covered most of her forelegs and even her neck.
“Luna, get in here!” River called out to which Luna obeyed.
“River? What’s wrong?” Luna asked.
“Just keep looking at me, sweetie. And whatever you do, do not turn around.”
“Why?” she asked trying to look behind her.
“Luna!” But it was too late, behind her she saw them. They were very tall, standing only on their hind legs in mostly black. Their forelegs had what looked like fleshy claws that were pale. But worst yet was their heads. Large, egg-shaped and very pale. Their eyes were black and sunken and she wasn’t sure if they even have a mouth for there was nothing but wrinkles from what she could see. And to make it all worse, there were hundreds of them crowded in the hallway. How did she not see them coming in?
“Now you’ve done it. Luna, whatever you do, do not look away.” River said.
“Why?”
“The moment you look away, you will forget they’re even there.”
“Who are they? What do they want?”
“The Silence. And they’ve come back for me to finish the job.”
“What are you talking about?”
“River!” One of the slender creatures said. “Why is the Doctor still alive?”
“River,” Luna interjected, “don’t listen to them! This isn’t real!”
“What?”
“Why haven’t you killed the Doctor?” they asked.
“You’re having a nightmare River. These things aren’t real! This place isn’t real! You need to wake up!”
“But it seems so real.”
“It’s not, I can prove it! But first, how do you defeat them?”
“Well, a gun would be nice right-” River was caught off when she looked down at what was in her new hooves; it was a gun. “Luna, sweetie, I really need for you to cover your eyes.”
“Why?”
“I’m about to start a massacre.” Luna did as she was told and put both hooves over her eyes. What followed before she was pulled out of the dream was a series of very loud popping noises that made her jump every time. But when things grew quiet, she uncovered her eyes to find a white star that was growing smaller until it disappeared.
There was one more dream to go, and given all the stories that River told her about the Doctor, she wondered what kind of nightmare was in store.
She reached out to touch the last red star.
-*-
All around her, there was a great wailing that seemed to be coming from everywhere. Voices upon voices crying out in agony, desperation, and fear over one pony. Doctor. They were all crying out Doctor.
Luna opened up her eyes to find the pony in question at a panel full of buttons and switches. Upon many screens showed many creatures in a wide range of sizes, colors, and species that she had never seen before; all of whom were crying out for help.
In this dream, she noted that the Doctor was alone. There was no companion to assist him or to calm him through the stress of trying to deal with a titanic amount of problems at the same time.
“Um, Doctor, are you alright?” Luna asked.
“No!” He said as wildly went after one button after another. “They need me! They all need me!”
There was one cry after another, that no matter what he did, things got worse and worse. The screens got more disturbing by the second. She saw fire and blood, the likes of which that she’d never seen; not even in her own nightmares.
Among the voices, there was one voice that caught the Doctor’s attention. It sounded female and sounded like a young adult. “Grandfather!” she cried out, “You promised! You promised you would come back! Why did you abandon me?!”
“Susan.” Was all the Doctor said before he collapsed onto the ground. Luna trod closer to him, “Um, Doctor, can I help you?”
“There’s too many. There’s far too many of them. I don’t know what to do.”
She lay down next to him, giving him a nuzzle. “But, how can I help you? If there’s anypony who needs help right now, it’s you.”
“I could have saved them. I could have saved them all. I’ve made so many promises to so many. I can’t keep them all. And I’ve lost so many for doing that.”
Luna was silent for a good while until she spoke up: “You know, my sister had told my mother that once. She said that in life, one will make promises that are too many and too great to carry out. But giving up isn’t the first step. The fact that you’re still even trying is in a way of keeping a promise. You do with what you have, with what you can do right now. And from what River has told me, you’ve always kept your promises in the end.”
The Doctor stared at her for a moment before giving her a quick hug, “Thank you, Luna. Even an old Time Lord like myself needs to be reminded a few things now and then. So now!” He leaped up and head straight towards the control panel. “Come on now sweetheart, we have a few things we need to do. ALLONS Y!”
Luna was pulled out of the dream. She saw the final white star shrinking into nothing. She sighed in relief. They were safe.
For a brief moment, there was blinding light; and the next, Luna was back in her room once more. She found that it was morning. And if the sun is out, that can mean only one thing.
“Luna!” She found herself being tightly embraced by her older sister. Despite getting crushed, she took saw that River, as well as her husband, was awake too, fiddling around with the contraption that they were once hooked up to.
“Luna,” said Celestia, “that was either the most foolish or the bravest thing that you have ever done. I don’t know how you were able to do that, and as of now, I don’t care. For now, all I can muster to say to you is… thank you.”
“But, what about those monsters? What happened to them?” Luna asked.
“Well, there’s some good news,” the Doctor said, “well, mostly good. It looks like most of those nasty nightmares have been captured in here. Thee not so good news, we haven’t gotten all of them.”
“So wait, they’re still out there?” Celestia asked.
“I’m afraid so.” Said River, after looking up from the machine: “I don’t think those nightmares will truly go away. So the best you could do is…” River trailed off but then asked. “Luna, what’s that?”
Luna gave her a confused look. Celestia looked down where River was looking at.
“Lu, look at what’s on your flank,” Celestia said with a smile.
Luna did look. There was a white crescent moon on both sides of her flank.
“My cutie mark!” Luna exclaimed, “I’ve finally got my cutie mark!”
-*-
“And that should do it!” The Doctor said as he put in the last piece of River’s ship back into place. “All you just need to do now is turn it on and it’ll be ready to go.”
River gave her husband a quick kiss: “Thanks a lot sweetie. These past few days have been eventful haven’t they?”
“You can say that again.”
“Getting sucked into a black hole and into another universe. Becoming the imaginary friend of a future princess. Banishing nightmares. Has anyone had any more fun than us?”
The Doctor chuckled and gave his wife a sad smile.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” River asked.
The Doctor shook his head. “Spoilers. You know, I think you should come back here a little more often.”
“Oh, of course, I would more than love-“
“I was talking about Luna.”
-*-
“So Doctor,” Ditzy asked, “what’s going to happen to Luna now?”
By now, the Doctor, Ditzy and Tick Tock were released from their charges and set free. Now they returned to the TARDIS.
“Very soon, little Luna will be taking the throne beside her sister for the next several centuries to come. Plus with her new cutie mark, she gains the title of “The Dream Princess” since her duties will be to banish nightmares from other ponies.”
“But what about Nightmare Moon though?” Tick Tock asked. “I mean, it’s still going to happen isn’t it?”
The Doctor fell silent for a moment. “Tick Tock, Ditzy, remember when I scanned Luna for the last time and told her that she doesn’t have the Hunllefau's in her head? I lied. There’s still one, a very small one that’s still in her.”
“What! But Doctor, why didn’t you tell her?” Ditzy asked with concern.
“Because all the events for Nightmare Moon to happen is a fixed point in your history. There are some things that can change, leaving little to no consequence, and there are others that have to happen, no matter what. And I’m sorry to say, Nightmare Moon is a fixed point in time.”
“But what about River?” Tick Tock asked, “Isn’t she coming with us? She is your wife after all.”
“She won’t be coming with us. Besides, she has somewhere else to be in another place and time.”
“Do you think you’ll see her again?”
“At this point, I truly don’t know.”
-*-
Many years ago, before the nightmares, before she was crowned Princess of the Night, even before she encountered the Doctor and his assistance, Luna was completely alone in her room. That night long ago, her older sister had to be a way for the preparation of ruling a united Equestria.
Luna had toys lying about the floor as well as a few drawings, but on this night, she felt lonely. She was shy of the new servants, and to make matters worse, none of the servants knew her very well.
It was on this night that she was sitting near a fireplace, looking at the burning logs that brought warmth and light to the room. It was in a moment like this, that she wished she had someone, anyone to talk to, if not for just a moment.
There was a flash with a ‘pop’ that Luna looked away from the fireplace, seeing that she was no longer alone. She saw a full-grown mare. With a curly orange mane and a pale yellow coat. Her blue eyes spotted the young filly.
“Hello there sweetie.” She said.
“Who are you?”
“Formally, I’m Professor River Song. But I’ll let you call me River.” She looked around the room, “And by the look of things, I guess you probably want someone to talk to, right?”
