Dr. Whooves- Parallel Complications

The end of all things neared. Chaos no longer lost energy when he performed acts of disarray. His body prepared the necessary magic to end it all. The Doctor had thought of a possible solution, but there was something he forgot.

I must be quick in finishing this tale, for time before everything will black out grows short.

***

Martha nearly collapsed on the ground the moment she returned to her universe. A scientist running around noticed her appearance and caught her before she fell.

“What’s going on?” Martha yelled. There was a very loud humming noise inside the lab room.

“A planet appeared out of nowhere, and is moving to collide with Earth!” the scientist shouted back. “Project emerald is coming online now!”

“An entire planet?” Martha was dumbfounded. “I don’t think the device can handle that alone!”

“Maybe not, but it’s our only chance!”

***

The pony earth

Celestia and Luna worked together, desperately trying to stop the collision of planets.

“We are not strong enough, sister!” Luna cried out, her hooves burying into the floor as she coursed every ounce of magic she had through her horn. “We are slowing down our planet, but it is not enough. We can’t handle this alone!”

***

The TARDIS

“The TARDIS has towed a planet before, but pushing a planet back that’s going this fast, the TARDIS is struggling to do so!” The Doctor fought with every control, the TARDIS groaning under the strain.

“We have to try, Doctor!” River replied. “Or else everyone on both planets will die, and if things don’t reset like you believe-“

“It’s just not possible,” the Doctor said. “The TARDIS can’t do this alone!”

***

Earth

“Project emerald coming online, activation in 20 seconds!”

“Do we have enough power?” Colonel Hutchinson asked.

“Sir,” another scientist chimed in. “Project Emerald doesn’t have the power to stop this, but hold on- something else is trying to stop the collision as well. There are two distinct readings that I don’t understand, and the third… Colonel, the TARDIS is between the planets!”

The colonel launched his fist in the air out of celebration. “Welcome back, Doctor!” he cheered. “Activate project emerald. Let’s give those other readings a helping hand.”

***

The pony earth soared towards the earth the Doctor know, with the TARDIS in between. Celestia, Luna, and the Doctor all fought to prevent the planets from colliding. However, the collision only slowed; nothing stopped yet.

Suddenly, a faint boom could be heard all the way up in space, and massive green rings began to emanate and expand from the planet surface. The rings shook the TARDIS hard, and everyone inside got thrown to the ground a few feet from where they originally stood.

“What… in the world…” the Doctor struggled to get up, but tripped again from more tremors.

“Doctor, wait… look at the monitor!” Samantha said as she pulled herself up with a rail. “Whatever’s happening, it’s stopping the collision!” She continued watching while the rest fought to grab a rail like she did. “The other earth is slowing… more… more… it’s stopped! Wait, even better, it’s getting pushed back!”

Slowly, with all efforts combined, the pony earth began to reverse direction. Gravity forces on both planets normalized bit by bit, until both planets were far away enough, each in a stable orbit around the sun.

The TARDIS finally calmed down too, and the Doctor stood, baffled. “How the…” He moved to the console and sent a communication request down to UNIT. Several seconds later, the screen blinked to show the office Colonel Hutchinson stood in, with two dozen computers all manned by scientists collecting data on the state of the planet.

“Doctor!” Colonel Hutchinson hadn’t been this happy in quite a while. “I’m so glad to see you at a time like this. You’re still a pony?”

“Yes, still working on that.”

Martha ran into the room and appeared in the camera’s view.

“Martha!” The Doctor smiled. “What in the world was that device you just used?”

“Project emerald,” Martha replied, returning the smile as relief came over her from seeing the Doctor. “A massively powerful anti-gravity pulse machine. A mixture of recovered alien technology with some technology of our own.”

“Well it certainly did the job!” the Doctor replied. “Martha, listen to me,” he continued, his face turning serious. “I don’t have much time to explain this, but I need you to do something for me. The paradox machine, the master, think back to it. Think back to how we defeated the master. It doesn’t matter that there’s not a satellite system, the dynamics have changed. But I need the same thing I needed before. You just have to trust me.”

Martha paused for a moment, but the memory came to her. “Consider it done.”

***

Then it happened. In an undefinable portion of space, yet visible in the sky of every planet of every universe, a tear began to form. At first, it just looked like a thin line of electric, blue cloud. But soon after, the line spread, forming a thin oval. The inner region of the oval was more than just black, it was nothingness; the void, the gap between universes, seeping into the real world. This was the end.

***

The Doctor’s ears flattened as he looked at the readings, his head bowing.

“We’re too late,” River said, breathing heavily. “The void has opened, everything will start spilling in.” She pushed some more buttons, preparing something. “There’s already an entire galaxy that doesn’t exist. This hole, it’s everywhere and nowhere, across space and time.”

The Doctor thought hard about what he’d learned. What he thought his limits were, and what he wanted his limits to be. Chaos was at his maximum point of power now if he was executing his final plan; a fully charged destroyer from a realm the Doctor couldn’t explain.

Was this the end of all things? Were the winds of fate not in his favor? The Doctor had no idea if his thought would even work.

But there was no way he wouldn’t try.

The Doctor tilted his head up again. “No, it’s not too late,” he said. “We’re going into the void.”

River stared at the Doctor, then nodded, and hit the send key on what she’d been preparing. A message, to be sent through all of time and space, that simply said:

If you know the Doctor, put faith in him. He is trying.

The Doctor closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He focused on those around him, on those far away, and the golden aura slowly returned. He concentrated more, beginning to float into the air, and the TARDIS suddenly brightened tenfold, powered by the energy the Doctor was channeling. This is what the creator had been talking about. A mixture of universe energies flowing through him gave him abilities that normally wouldn’t be possible even in powerful magical creatures. The void drive may have given the Doctor access to the void, but the key was the Doctor himself.

The TARDIS shook, rumbled, then soared at an unbelievable speed, disappearing into the universe tear. The Doctor did not need to manipulate any controls with his hoof to pilot the TARDIS.

***

Location undefinable
Time undefinable

Everything in Chaos’s plan was perfect. He grinned as whole universes began to fall into the void, entering a permanent state of chaos and nothingness. The entire infinity of creation was his.

He took bits and pieces from each universe, a planet here, a galaxy there, a galaxy cluster somewhere else. As he absorbed, the pull rate accelerated, only fueling Chaos’ power. He could feel the torment he caused, and relished in it, feeling all that creators made fall apart by his hand.

Then, Chaos felt something. Something he’d never felt before. A magic he’d never felt before. The Doctor had returned to the void, unharmed by the void’s pull on reality, and something was new.

“Impressive,” Chaos said to himself. “But not impressive enough.”

***

The TARDIS blasted through the void, headed directly for Chaos. The Doctor could feel everything, the power of the TARDIS, where Chaos was, and the screams of those falling into nothingness.

Suddenly, the TARDIS stopped cold. Everyone except the Doctor nearly flew across the room from the inertia.

“Chaos,” the Doctor said. “He’s stopping the TARDIS. I’m not strong enough.” The aura slowly started fading. He gritted his teeth, desperately pushing to hold on. He landed on the ground again, his head bowed in pain as part of the TARDIS console caught on fire. The TARDIS slowly moved backwards, Chaos pushing it away.
Paige ran to the Doctor, throwing her hooves around him. “You are strong enough Doctor!” Paige cried. “Please, you can do this! I know you can! I believe in you!”

***

The Doctor’s universe
Earth
21st century

Martha had everyone in UNIT all across the world thinking of the Doctor. She stepped outside, looking up into reality’s tear, knowing the Doctor was in there.

“Come on, Doctor,” she said slowly. “You can do it.”

***

The pony universe
Capetra
42nd century

Oliver held his daughter tightly, stroking her mane as she slept in his hooves. The planet’s atmosphere still held some heat, but the star Capetra orbited fell into reality’s tear, and the planet slowly grew cold.

“I know you can save us, Doctor,” Oliver whispered. “I know you can.”

***

Another universe
Earth
21st century

The Doctor and Rose ran outside, alerts going off everywhere in UNIT. They looked up and saw the tear in reality, causing both of them to gasp. The prediction was right.

“Come on, Doctor,” Rose said, closing her eyes. “I know you’re up there.”

***

The pony universe
Earth
The Griffon Kingdom
18th century

Altea looked up into the sky from atop the castle, staring into the blackness between the tear in reality. He knew this giant mark in the sky was a dark omen, but one thought stuck in his head that he could rely on.

“It seems to be getting colder,” another castle guard said, walking up to Altea. This guard was not a griffon, rather, a pony. “With that thing… up in the sky. Some feel like the world is ending.”

“Perhaps…” Altea replied, keeping his gaze upward. “But there is one… one who is probably up there, trying to stop what is happening. If it weren’t for him, you and I would not be standing together today as allies. He’s the one that brought our kingdoms together.”

“Really?” The pony nodded. “This one you speak of, he sounds quite amazing. What is his name?”

“He does not have a name. He simply goes by the Doctor.”

***

The Doctor’s universe
Earth
New York
20th century

A woman smiled as her husband brought her some tea. She had just finished writing another chapter in her book, and knew it would be done soon.

“Thank you dear,” she said, smiling.

“No problem,” he replied. Her husband stepped towards the window, looking outside. “Amy… have you seen this?”

Amy got up and stood next to Rory, looking up into the sky. Both of them gazed into reality’s tear, unsure of what it was.

“My god…” Amy whispered.

“Whatever’s going on… you think the Doctor’s up there?” Rory asked, remembering the times they had in the past. Well, “past” was a very relative term.

“If it’s trouble, he’s there,” Amy replied. “Watching over us from afar.” She sipped her tea, the appearance of the sky concerning her. “If it is trouble, I just hope he can fix it,” she said.

***

The pony universe
New Vender
Planet’s orbit
46th century

Equestrian Union ships struggled to hold up against the cyber ships that constantly improved themselves. Half a dozen ships already drifted in pieces, and crew members began to lose hope while they fought for their lives.

Across all the ships, an audio message came through from Admiral Ruby’s command post. “Attention everyone, this is Admiral Ruby,” the voice echoed. While continuing to fight, all the ponies on every ship listened. “I know things seem hopeless right now. But I promise you that we can make it through this fight. There is a pony called the Doctor, a stallion more incredible than I’ll ever be able to comprehend, and while he is far away right now, he is aiding in this fight without you even realizing. The Doctor is the reason I was alive to get promoted to admiral. But hope needs to stay strong. Believe in the Doctor, as I believe in him, and we will make it. In turn, believe in yourself.”

Back on the planet surface, Ruby smiled as efforts seemed to double after her audio message sent out. “We’re here for you, Doctor,” she said to herself.

***

The Doctor’s universe
Earth
21st century

Geoff Noble gently pulled a blanket over Donna. The shaking of the planet gave her quite a fright, and afterwards she just wanted to sleep. He couldn’t blame her. It still pained him to look at her and know she forgot it all. She could never know again. Even telling her in more detail about the fact that another planet was in the sky might trigger a memory and hurt her.

Leaving her to sleep, Geoff stepped out of the house. He crossed his arms and rubbed his biceps, the night air a bit chilly. He looked up into the sky, seeing the planet that appeared from nowhere, and the tear in reality. Stars seemed to be disappearing in the night sky.

“Oh, Doctor,” Geoff said, a tear streaming down his face. “Please be up there, in the sky, fighting like you always do.” He sniffed, watching more and more stars disappear every second. “We need you.”

***

Location undefinable
Time undefinable

“I sent a message out, Doctor,” River said. “Not only are the ones closest to you thinking of you, but anyone capable of receiving my transmission now knows you’re up here, fighting. All the lives you’ve touched, all the planets you’ve saved. You forget how many millions of millions of people know your name.”

The Doctor could feel his energy growing and shut his eyes, more and more thoughts from others pouring into him. The aura surrounding him brightened again, then brightened more, more, until no one in the TARDIS could look directly at him. When he opened his eyes again, they were nothing but white light, even brighter than the rest of the aura around him. Paige felt herself gently pushed back by what seemed to be just air, and the Doctor turned to the doors.

The doors swung open by themselves, and outside was a sight that only the Doctor’s eyes could comprehend. All inside the TARDIS looked at the void itself. Moments later, the Doctor flew out of the TARDIS doors, no longer needing the protection of the ship and its void drive.

Far away, Chaos could feel the power of the Doctor growing. He in return increased his power of retaliation, absorbing energy from entire universes to hold him back.

Chaos did not have to defeat the Doctor. If Chaos held him off long enough for all of creation to fall into the void, the source of the Doctor’s power would disappear, and Chaos would create a personal hell for this being.

The Doctor couldn’t get closer. Chaos threw more and more power at him, keeping him at bay, trying to attack the power the Doctor was using. He tensed, and cleared his mind of everything except for those he cared about, focusing on one destination.

He began to get closer. Slowly, bit by bit, the Doctor’s power outweighed the power Chaos threw back. “No…” Chaos said. “This isn’t possible...”

The Doctor felt like his mind had exploded into an entire new realm of possibility, things he couldn’t explain before suddenly seeming as simple as adding numbers. He began to fully understand where magic and his power came from, and used his power to send his voice across the void to Chaos.

“Chaos!” the Doctor called out. “I will not let these universes die!”

Chaos struggled to keep the Doctor at bay. “What makes you think you can stop me?” he yelled back, the Doctor now close enough for him to see.

“I was very confused by the universe I found myself in. Particularly by magic,” the Doctor continued, his voice stern. “But I explored. I let my curiosity fly. And I learned. You think you understand magic power, but here you are, alone in the void.” The Doctor began coming at an even faster rate, Chaos’ power beginning to buckle.

“While you’ve spent eternities in nothingness, I’ve spent my entire life traveling. I’ve met people. Brilliant people. Strong people. I have watched time and space flourish and burn, and I have met so many people to share the experience with me. That’s when I realized what the pony universe is about.

“The magic of the pony universe may exist in a stronger form there, but its magic is not limited to that universe. It is everywhere, across the stars, waiting for people to take advantage of it. It is more powerful than a big bang, and more resilient than time itself. It’s what I have harnessed, and what you will never understand. But I do. I now understand what magic is.”

The Doctor now pushed against Chaos’ most inner defense, so close that Chaos could stare into the Doctor’s pure white eyes.

“Friendship… is… magic!”

The Doctor flew straight threw Chaos. Chaos screamed, his entire body turning into a bright white. He held his head, all his power draining from him in seconds, and the white light that made up his body shattered into a thousand pieces.

***

“The void drive is beginning to destabilize!” River shouted, examining the TARDIS’ running systems. “I don’t know how much longer we can stay here!”

“We can’t leave without the Doctor!” Paige replied.

Then, though there was still no one in the TARDIS capable of comprehending what the void outside looked like, they could hear the voice of the Doctor, and Chaos, engaging in their final conflict.

***

Those in the TARDIS heard the screams of Chaos, then nothing. Only the rumbles of the TARDIS shaking about in the void made any sound.

Then, at the doors to the TARDIS, a glowing hoof appeared. Then another, then a head, and the body of the Doctor, his eyes still growing brightly. His eyes returned to normal first, then the aura around the rest of his body dissipated, and the doors closed behind him.

“Doctor!” Paige sprinted to him, throwing her hooves around his neck. The Doctor staggered, but returned the hug with one hoof.

Paige dropped the hug, knowing everyone else would want to see him. “What happened?” Samantha asked.

“It is done,” the Doctor said, letting out a sigh. “Chaos is no more.”

“Did you kill him?” River asked.

“No. Just like Chaos couldn’t directly kill us, I couldn’t kill him,” the Doctor explained. “I drained him of all his energy. Chaos will for all of eternity be a 1 year old draconequus.”

Everyone in the TARDIS cheered, hugging and whooping, while the Doctor simply grinned. “And though my power is fading, I can feel it. The creator was right. All the universes are returning to the way they were. The fabric between universes will be sealed, and only those of us who have experienced extensive time travel will remember that anything even happened.”

“So that means…” Paige frowned. “You saved all of infinity, and barely anyone will know.”

“Oh come on, Paige, it’s better that way,” the Doctor said. “I like a bit of anonymity. I travel for the same reason you joined me. Curiosity.

“The void will let us go home,” the Doctor continued. “My power’s just about faded, but the last thing I understand from all this jumbly stuff in my head is that in a little bit, this TARDIS will disappear, and we'll all pop back to where we were before all of this."

After the last of the Doctor’s power dissipated, suddenly he and Jack became surrounded by an aura similar to the one the Doctor had before. “What?” the Doctor said, no longer able to understand what was going on.

The strange aura pulled both of them upright and into the air, letting their hind hooves dangle beneath them. Then, slowly, their hind hooves began to disappear.

For Jack, the hind hooves were replaced with brown boots. Then his hind legs stretched out, forming human legs inside black pants. Bit by bit, Jack slowly became himself once more, right down to the coat that everyone knew him for.

The Doctor, however, had something new to experience due to regenerating. His hind legs stretched out, displaying brown suit pants, the same color his coat had been. Then a brown suit of a matching color, a white dress shirt underneath with a green tie, and a spiked hair style similar in design and color to the mane that covered his head before. On the outer side of his left pant leg, just below the belt, his cutie mark appeared, sewed into the pants.

Both were dropped down gently, and stood on feet once more. “Well…” Jack said, staring down at his body.

“You look… different,” Samantha said, amazed at the transformation.

“I feel like you’re more shocked by how I look now than when you saw me as a pony,” the Doctor replied with a laugh, looking himself up and down. “This is just me regenerated. And back in… time lord form.”

Paige slowly approached Doctor, now much shorter than him. The Doctor kneeled down, looking into her eyes. “Hello,” he said.

“Hello…” Paige replied, still a bit stunned. “So this is… you…”

“Yep, it’s me,” the Doctor replied, smiling.

“I’ve just… only ever known you as a pony,” Paige said.

The Doctor stood up again. “Well, here I am now! Ta da! See, I knew I’d want to use that again.”

“So what happens now?” Jack asked.

“Well, now is time to say our goodbyes,” the Doctor said.

After a pause, River took a deep breath, shaking her head. “Well Doctor, it’s been such a pleasure to see you again.” As she walked up to the Doctor, she gave him a wink. “Now where was I then… oh yes! My archaeology team and I were about to get contracted for a job. Head over to some giant library… anyways, it sounds serious, so I’ll give you a call, Doctor,” she added, grinning. “Should be next week. Though, actually, time travel, so maybe a month. Or maybe you’ve already explored the library with me!” River winked at him. “Don’t be giving me any spoilers if you have, it should be quite a journey.”

“River...” The Doctor reached out his hand, knowing exactly what River was talking about. He refrained from letting any emotion show, keeping his face straight. As she said, as much as it pained him, he couldn’t give any spoilers. “Good luck.”

River grinned again. “Thanks, sweetie. Until next time."

“Well, I’ve think I’ve had enough of archaeology, I don’t feel like joining on that library mission,” Jack said, clasping his hands together. “It’s time for me to kick back and relax for a while after all that adventuring.” He paused, thinking back on something. “Doctor, before I go, there’s something the creator said to me. She said I have some sort of task to complete, and I have to be here until it’s done. I have no idea what that means yet, but do you think it… do you think it means I’ll die… someday?”

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, once again preventing himself from letting news about the future out. “Let’s find out together,” the Doctor said, smiling.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jack replied. He was about to speak more when Paige spoke up.

“Wait, Doctor,” Paige said. “Do... I have to go back to the pony world? Is it possible for me to stay with you?”

The Doctor cringed, and shut his eyes before slowly turning to Paige, his head bowed. “I’m sorry, Paige,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”

Paige backed up from the Doctor slightly, raising a front hoof. “But…” her mouth began to quiver. “I thought… I could travel with you more… I didn’t think this would be it…”

The Doctor knelt down, opening his eyes again and looking at Paige. “Our universes are too far apart. Universe energy from both could never permanently mix, it’s only been possible because of the tears. Once the void closes, if you come to my universe, or I come to yours, it will rip apart everything again.”

“But… no…” Tears began to roll down Paige’s cheeks. “I… want to travel with you. I can’t go back to my old life! I can’t!” Paige ran up to the Doctor and threw her front hooves around him, beginning to sob into his shoulder. The Doctor slowly wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight in return and rubbing her back gently.

The Doctor knew it had to happen, but at the same time, something stirred inside him that wouldn’t sit. It shouldn’t be like this. This shouldn’t be what has to happen. Paige was the friend he needed in a universe he didn’t understand, and she showed him so much. She helped him so much. And he couldn’t stand to see her cry like this.

The Doctor slammed his fist on the TARDIS floor, scaring Paige, Samantha and Jack. He stood up, pulling away from his embrace with Paige, beginning to pace around the TARDIS.

“No, there has to be a way,” the Doctor said, anger rising in his voice as he paced faster. “The creator, she said she’d help me if she could find a way, but it would have to be subtle. She couldn’t interfere too much, I’d have to find out on my own. The hint, it had to be somewhere.”

Samantha shook her head, frowning. “Doctor, maybe there isn’t a way. Everything you just said, the universes would tear apart if she came with you-“

“No! There has to be away!” Samantha took a step back, never having heard the Doctor lash out like that. “She doesn’t deserve for it to end like this, she doesn’t deserve to be alone again.”

“I’m sorry Doctor,” Samantha replied. “But you can’t be the one that fixes everything, it’s not possible. It’s just not who you are-“

“Well it’s who I want to be!” The Doctor stopped pacing, breathing heavily and glaring at Samantha. Samantha took another step back, bowing her head. Paige’s sobs quieted, slightly fearful of the rage the Doctor just showed. The Doctor calmed a bit, realizing that he unfairly snapped at another true friend of his. “I’m sorry, Samantha,” the Doctor said, sighing. “It’s just- wait…” A thought began to form in the Doctor’s head. “Wait… who I want…”

“What is it, Doctor?”

Silver nodded. “Thank you, Doctor. I guess it’s just like Celestia’s saying.”

And further back…

"Oh, it's not about who you are, Doctor," Celestia replied, stopping and turning her head. The Doctor paused, looking back as well. "What matters is who you want to be."

“Princess Celestia,” the Doctor said slowly, a grin forming once more. “You told me the first time we met.”

“What do you mean, Doctor?” Samantha asked.

“Why is it that I turned into a pony when I entered the pony universe, but you and River didn’t?” the Doctor asked. He began pacing again, but this was a very different pace. Jack and Samantha both knew it. This was how the Doctor paced when he had an epiphany. “And when I returned to my universe, I stayed a pony? It’s because it’s not about the universe you’re in. It’s not about who you are. It’s who you want to be.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “I’m still not following.”

“Samantha, you and River came into the pony universe, but you were just looking for me, that’s all you wanted,” the Doctor went on. “You didn’t need to become ponies to find me. Me, on the other hand, I wanted to help others without scaring them. I wanted to be able to blend in, like I do on earth. So I became a pony. And when I was sent back to my universe by Chaos,” he went on, talking faster and faster. “All I wanted to do was get back to where I was, for I knew something bad was happening. Hence I stayed a pony in my universe.”

“So… you’re saying I turned in to a pony… because I wanted to?” Jack chimed in, crossing his arms. “I’m not sure what that says about me.”

“Paige.” The Doctor walked up to her and knelt down again, looking straight at her. “Answer me honestly. Do you truly, with all your heart, want to travel with me?”

Paige still shed a few tears, but they were slowing as she took in all that the Doctor said. She stood up, and looked right back. “Yes.”

“Then that’s it. You can,” the Doctor replied, grinning widely. “You can travel with me for as long as you like, Paige.”

The conversation stopped when the TARDIS began to shake. The final resealing of the universes neared.

“No, we’re so close to figuring it out,” the Doctor said, standing. “No, we can’t get this close and not succeed. Paige!” The TARDIS around them started to fade. “We can figure this out! You just have to want it! There has to be a way, Paige! Just remember-“

The TARDIS holding them disappeared.

***

The pony universe
Capetra
42nd century

Oliver kissed his young daughter on the forehead, and moved to put on his coat.

“Will you be back soon?” his wife asked.

“Yes, I’ll be back soon sweety,” Oliver replied. “I’m taking a shuttle to a trade planet. There’s a species there called tembars, and they’re very kind,” he continued. “They have a medicine that will save our daughter. Within a week of my return, she’ll be just fine.”

“I’m so glad,” his wife said, giving him a kiss on the cheek to see him off. “Take care, honey.”

“I will.”

***

Earth
The Griffon Kingdom
18th century

On the outside, the griffon kingdom shined with glory. Tall castles with painted roofs decorated the land, standing as beacons of shelter and warmth. Inside tiny villages, adults worked hard, farming the land and serving the government, while the young ones laughed and played, free to go about as they wished. Behind the walls of the great kingdom, the content mirrored the exterior appearance. Except for some political issues, nothing plagued the shining kingdom.

Prince Davion stroked his beak with a claw as he waited for princess Celestia to arrive from Canterlot. He felt tense about this meeting; the two kingdoms had never really agreed on anything. Now Celestia was coming personally to try and form an alliance.

At last, the princess arrived, and Prince Davion greeted her with a formal bow as a sign of respect to another leader. Celestia returned the bow.

“Princess,” Prince Davion began. “I open my castle doors to you today, but I cannot promise any agreement between our kingdoms,” he said.

“This I understand,” Celestia replied. “But I believe there is potential. You and I must put are differences aside, and stop focusing on who we are on the outside. What matters is what we want, and I believe we both want peace.”

Prince Davion thought for a moment, and nodded. “I believe you may be right. Come, let us speak.”

***

Galaxy O, Sector 5
46th century

Captain Ruby let out a contented sigh as she drifted her ship amongst the stars, the fuel cells currently recharging. No calls had come, it was a quiet day out in space, no emergencies to go after. She commanded the Equestrian Union ship Wanderer. It was a very small ship with a small crew, but she had volunteered for the job, and loved every crew member on board. And she loved two in particular even more.

“Luke,” Ruby turned on the com and called directly to Daniel and Luke’s living quarters. “If it’s not private husband and husband time, Rufus could use some help down in the engineering bay.”

“Uh… roger captain,” Daniel’s voice replied slowly through the com. “He’ll be down there in uh… ten minutes.”

Ruby laughed. “Roger, Daniel. Thanks.” She shut off the com and leaned back in her chair, smiling and dreaming the future, perhaps making admiral one day.

***

Earth
Canterlot
Late 21st century

Lieutenant Silver was relieved to take off his armor when he quietly entered his home. His son was not awake yet for it was still early, but his wife always awoke to greet him at the end of a night shift.

“Welcome home Silver,” his wife said. “How was the guard?”

“Just fine, a quiet night,” Silver replied. “However one interesting thing happened. Near the end of my shift, princess Luna asked to see me. She said she found my work impressive, and that if I continued along the same path, I’d be a great candidate for captain of the royal guard when the current one retires.”

“That’s great!” His wife brought him a cup of his favorite tea, which he gratefully accepted. “You really do work hard.”

“I know I do, but to make captain… and the way she looked at me…” Silver trailed off, then chuckled. “It’s like she remembers something about me that I don’t. A rather strange feeling.”

***

1850 years earlier

Celestia was a young alicorn, only about a century old, still learning how to use her powers. She entered the bed chambers of her mother, who watched over her sleeping little sister.

“Mother?” Celestia called out. “Are you alright?”

“I am, my dear,” the creator replied. “You know what happens soon, don’t you?”

Celestia went to her mother’s side, snuggling in close like Luna had on the other side. “You have to go away?”

“Yes,” she said. “But don’t be sad. Your mother will always be watching you. I have told you all that you need to know. You and your sister are meant to rule this land. You are meant to show these ponies harmony, and bring them together. As for the one that is foretold, put your faith in him. Things will be fine.”

“I will, mother,” Celestia said. “I’ll remember everything you’ve told me.”

“Thank you.”

***

The Doctor’s universe
Gallifrey
Exact time unknown

“ATTENTION TARDIS PILOT, YOUR SHIP IS RECOGNIZED AS A KNOWN INTELLIGENCE COLLECTOR. YOUR SHIP CONTAINS VITAL INFORMATION ON DALEK PLANS. YOUR SHIP WILL BE DESTROYED. YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED.”
The Scout shut off the com, hanging on tight again as she flew her ship in a close range evasion pattern, having a harder time now. The dalek shipped fired incessantly, and she had nothing to hide behind, only empty space. She had to get away, if not for her life then at least for the information she had.

Then suddenly, years of memories hit her like a brick flying into her face. She staggered away from the console for a moment, then when she recovered, she couldn’t believe all the knowledge that had been missing from her head.

“If I’m here… then the Doctor saved everyone!” The Scout jumped for joy, forgetting about her current dilemma for a few moments. “I knew you could do it, Doctor!” After another blast hit her ship, however, she snapped back into reality.

This is why The Scout didn’t let the Doctor save her. At Oliver’s house, she realized that when everything was over, she would probably end up back in the time war. There’d be no way for the Doctor to come get her.

Which was ok. The Doctor had showed her so much, and given her hope for Gallifrey. She had lived out her final regeneration happy, thanks to him.

The Scout scanned her surroundings. There was no temporal storm to save her anymore. The dalek ship would have her.

She ignored evasive maneuvers, and focused on preparing a data message. She compiled all the intelligence her ship had found, preparing to send it down to Gallifrey and delete it from the TARDIS, in case any wreckage was left when her ship was destroyed. Then, she began to record a voice message to add to the data package.

“This is the Scout,” she began. “I am recording this message because I know that when this is all over, Gallifrey will be saved by someone special; the planet will survive, somewhere, and maybe, just maybe, the right person will be able to listen to this file someday.” She took a deep breath. “Doctor, if you ever get to hear this, this is Minuette. I only have one thing that needs to be said. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

She stopped the recording, and added the file to the data package. After she sent it down to Gallifrey, she began to manipulate other controls, preparing to stop the ship. Her TARDIS had taken too much damage; she couldn’t teleport off, and she couldn’t keep running. As she prepared to stop the TARDIS’ evasive maneuvers, she smiled warmly, knowing that in another reality, she had lived her life out happily, and to the fullest.

***

Benzo
62nd century

The TARDIS took off from Benzo’s surface before anyone went out to explore; they had seen the planet once already and knew what happened.

The Doctor was quiet, and Samantha didn’t know what to say. They got so close. So close to finding the solution. The Doctor breathed deeply as he backed away from the console, leaning back against the railing. As when Minuette died, he held no more tears to let out.

“Doctor,” Samantha said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“I know,” the Doctor replied. He gripped the rail tightly with his hands. Because he was so directly involved with closing the void, one thing from what no longer happened remained; he was regenerated. He had his new hair style, and wore his brown suit with his cutie mark on the side.

“But we did save every universe in all of existence,” Samantha said. “You saved infinitely many lives, a number I don’t even want to try to comprehend. We won. It’s just… Paige… you cared for her so much…”

“But she’s gone now,” the Doctor said simply. “I miss her, yes, but the universes are closed. There’s nothing I can do.”

Samantha frowned. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “So we just… carry on?”

The Doctor nodded, turning to look at Samantha and putting on a slight smile, his sadness clearly behind it. “We’ve got plenty more exploring to do,” the Doctor said. “We have to just carry on.”

***

I realize now that my writings may have misled any readers a bit, in calling this the end of all things. I will explain soon, but my time is almost up, and there is a bit more to this story that I must tell.

***

The pony universe
Earth
South London
21st century

Paige sat with her head bowed in the middle of a large, grassy field, on the exact spot where she had originally found the TARDIS. A few tears trickled from her eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to cry anymore.

Later, Paige slowly walked through the cobblestone streets of town. She had a conversation with a grey earth pony pulling a cart of grapes, watched a unicorn mare use her magic to take a closed sign off of her flower shop, all the little things that were new wonders to the Doctor. They had been exciting.

Paige sat down outside a café, the same café she ate lunch at with the Doctor. She ordered a daisy sandwich, and ate slowly. While she ate, no alien ship appeared in the sky, causing everypony to run in terror. It was just a normal day.

A normal day. Paige had forgotten what a normal day felt like. She didn’t realize how much was missing in her life until she met the Doctor, and let her curiosity run wild. The adventures she went on with him, the good and the bad, the funny and the dangerous, she cherished every memory. And desperately wished she could see him again.

Paige thought back on what the Doctor told her to remember. The solution the Doctor thought he had. She didn’t know how she’d be able to figure it out if the Doctor couldn’t. But when she thought about it, she knew a pony who might have the answer.

***

Canterlot

Recognizing the name, Celestia accepted Paige’s request to see her. “Good afternoon Paige,” she said, beaming as the little blue pony entered the main room of the castle where she sat. “It is so wonderful to see you well. I remember everything.”

“Hello princess,” Paige said softly, approaching Celestia.

Celestia frowned. “Why the glum look, Paige?” she asked. “Does something trouble you?”

Paige let out a sigh, then began to tell the tale of all that happened in the void. How the Doctor stopped Chaos, the realization that she couldn’t go with him, and what the Doctor recalled Celestia saying.

“I just can’t imagine going back to a life where he’s not there,” Paige said, a few tears falling again due to her sharing the story. “I don’t know what to do.”

Celestia listened intently to the entire story. When Paige finished, she smiled widely. “Do not fret, Paige,” she said. “Unfortunately I could not interfere directly, there would have been too many problems. I was told I could only leave my hint behind, and that you had to approach me with your knowledge of it. Now that you have, I can help.”

Paige looked up, her eyes filling with hope. “You can?”

“I can, but not today,” Celestia replied. “I will arrange a train ticket to get you home, and another train ticket for later. Go home and get some rest. In 30 moons, you will meet me in the crystal empire.”

***

The Crystal Empire
30 moons later

Paige lived through what felt like the longest month of her life, waiting for the day Celestia selected. She returned to work at the library, ate 3 meals a day, read more books, particularly science fiction now. She didn’t know why a need for a wait existed or why they needed to come to the crystal empire, but she followed her instructions, taking the train ticket Celestia arranged for her and coming to the castle.

Celestia greeted Paige at the front entrance, and walked her through the castle. She led her deep inside, into a secret room. When Celestia opened the doors, Paige stepped in, looking around.

The room was well lit, but empty, except for one object at the end of the room. On the other side stood a large mirror, the outer edge a purple color with pink gems, fancily decorated.

“I don’t understand, princess,” Paige said. “What is this mirror?”

“It is a mirror created by the ancient creator, the one you met,” Celestia explained. “It takes you to another world. The Doctor’s world.”

Paige gasped. “But, the void closed. There’s no way to travel-“

“This mirror is special,” Celestia interrupted. “There was a time when the Doctor’s kind could travel between universes without making tears. The magic in this mirror is similar to the technology they once had. The creator used the last bit of magic in her before disappearing to create this mirror. It opens once every 30 moons.”

Paige cautiously approached the mirror. “So, if I go through, I can see the Doctor again?”

“There is a condition,” Celestia warned. “As you know, our universes are too far apart for anything holding one universe’s universe energy to permanently reside in the other. But, as I told the Doctor,” Celestia paused. “It doesn’t matter who you are. If being with the Doctor is what you truly want, and you know for sure, you can go. But you have to know for sure. If you are not, you could show up in the other universe as a pony, and both this universe and the Doctor’s universe would fall apart from the imbalance.

“This mirror has been used before. Once I had to send princess Twilight Sparkle through this mirror on a special mission. Her friends wanted to help, but I had to refuse. I knew that Twilight was the only one who truly wanted to help badly enough to send through. Luckily when her baby dragon unexpectedly ran after her, he also truly wanted to help enough, and transformed. I am willing to trust you and let you walk through the mirror, but remember, two universes are at stake. Will you go?”

Paige stared at the mirror for a long moment, completely silent. The Doctor was out there, somewhere on the other side. She knew this was what she wanted, she wanted it more than anything in the world, but to try and find him again would involve great risk. She’d be in a world she didn’t understand.
"For you Paige, I have only one question," the alicorn said. "I know much about the Doctor, and a lot converges around him. Even my small amount of help could change the winds of fate drastically. Dangerous things could happen. All I have to ask you, is the Doctor worth it?"
Paige thought for a while before responding, taking the question seriously. "Sometimes, not everyone is saved," Paige began. "But it's not the Doctor's fault, and there would be many more dead if the Doctor weren't here. He's worth the risk."

Paige turned to Celestia, and slowly nodded. “I’ll go,” she said.

Celestia grinned. “Then Paige, it was an honor to meet you,” Celestia said. “You truly are a brilliant pony. Good luck.”

“Thank you, princess.” Paige turned, staring at the mirror. She closed her eyes, and focused on all the memories she had of the Doctor. She wanted this. It didn’t matter who she was.

She stepped through.

***

The Doctor’s universe
Earth
21st century

Paige groaned and rubbed her head as she sat up, her eyes opening. She gasped when she saw she was somewhere else. Turning behind her, she saw that she had come out from a statue. She looked to her left, and saw a large building, the words “Canterlot High” printed on it. Then she looked down.

She wasn’t a pony. She was wearing clothes. She looked like the Doctor did. She had long legs. Arms with… she remembered the Doctor calling them fingers.

“Oh my…” Paige said under her breath. “I… I made it...”

Paige stood up, spinning all around, trying to absorb everything around her. She was here. The Doctor’s universe. She had made it.

When Paige tried to take a step, she nearly tripped. She looked down at her two legs, two less than she was used to. She remembered everything she could about how the Doctor and his friends looked, and how they used their appendages.

“I have a lot to learn.”

***

Lake Havasu, Arizona, USA
1 month later

The Doctor ran to the shore of one of the lake’s many beaches, gazing out and trying to spot one of the giant fish in the lake. The fish had crash landed their spaceship inside the lake and had been terrorizing people that tried to go out on boats or swim. Samantha ran after him, panting for breath when she finally caught up.

“Ok, I don’t have enough bananas for plan A,” the Doctor said. “So we need a plan B.”

On the Doctor’s other side, another woman ran up. Her hair was long and a beautiful blond color, a sort of faded yellow. Her clothes were a faded blue, and she panted as well. She tried to speak, but was too out of breath, and could only stand there and wave while the Doctor stroked his chin, thinking, not noticing a thing. Samantha turned to look, and at first just thought the woman was strange, but then gasped, her eyes widening.

“Alright! Here’s the plan,” the Doctor said, clasping his hands together. “I’m going to go get a boat. Samantha, you get something to feed the fish with. And Paige, you go to the TARDIS and open the box on the console. Get the red thingy; that will be important. Ready? Let’s go.”

The Doctor turned and ran off. Samantha and Paige turned and stared at him run, dumbfounded. They then turned and stared at each other, both shocked. A few seconds later, the Doctor came running back.

Stepping between the two of them, the Doctor looked at Paige. He had never seen her like this, and yet it was so obvious that it was her. He could see the unique curiosity in her eyes. He stared into her eyes. It’d been a few months for him since he’d last seen those eyes. “Paige?”

“Doctor!”

“Paige! It’s you!” The Doctor smiled wider than he had in ages, and cheered. He threw his arms around Paige, picked her up, and spun her around, both of them laughing.

When he set her down, he hugged her one more time. “Paige! You… you’re here! You found out how to make it!”

“I did!” she shouted with glee. “You were right about what had to be done. Celestia was able to help me when I came to her. It took me a month of looking for trouble to find you, and there were some rough times trying to figure out how to live without wings or hooves, but… I found you!”

The Doctor and Paige hugged again, and afterwards Samantha and Paige hugged.

“I never got the chance to know you well, and now I can,” Samantha said.

“Same here,” Paige replied.

“Paige, you have no idea how happy I am right now,” the Doctor said. “I mean, you’re here! Now I’ve got two of my best friends with me. We should celebrate! I know a great restaurant on this planet that has three suns-“

“Doctor,” Paige interrupted. “Weren’t you saying something about giant fish?”

Everyone turned to the lake when they heard a loud shriek. A giant fish had jumped up out of the water of the lake, and splashed back in. “Right. Giant fish. Got distracted,” the Doctor said, scratching his head. “Well then, giant fish first, celebration later. I grab a boat, Samantha grabs food, Paige grabs the red thingy. The plan still works.”

“I’m a little curious about where these giant fish came from,” Paige said.

“That’s exactly what I’d thought you’d say,” the Doctor said. Then, with new found joy, he took off running, panting in the desert heat.

***

You see, by the end of all things, I did not mean that Chaos won. It was the end of the Doctor’s time in the pony universe, the end of all those that had met him, except for Paige and the princesses, knowing him. And an end does not need to be sad. In fact, endings can be happy. For without something ending, nothing can begin. Martha had to end her travels with the Doctor to go experience her own life. After the universes reset, River went on to explore the library, and her journey with the Doctor ended. But, in doing so, the Doctor’s journey with River began.

This is the story that I have meant to tell. In the infinity of time and space, everything is always ending, and everything is always beginning. With the end of all things comes new adventures. Those whose memory of the Doctor has faded will now experience something brand new. One could never open a new book if they couldn’t close the one they were reading.

I guess I also sort of meant me when I used the term ‘the end of all things.’ For since the universes are sealed again, the universe energy from the other universe that was allowing me to see the Doctor is fading away. The time has come for my story to end. I never remember any of what I’ve seen of the Doctor when awake, and now I will no longer see him while asleep either. But who knows? Maybe, someday, someone will figure out how to find what I have written while dreaming, and be able to read it. Then that person can have a brand new beginning.

So that’s it. I’m going to wake up soon. I’ll be returning to my normal life, in my normal home, with my normal parents. But I live happily now. For although the memories are gone, there is one tiny thing that sticks, and I don’t even realize it. You see, it doesn’t matter how normal I seem. How many generic popular TV shows I watch, or how average my life is. Because it doesn’t matter who I am. What matters, is who I want to be.

Signed,

Donna Noble

THE END

***

Epilogue

The pony universe
Earth
A bar in Canterlot
Late 21st century

It was late on a Friday night, and everypony was either out on a date, out with friends, or home. Unfortunately, for one stallion sitting at the bar, his friends were on guard shift, and he had nothing to do. He let out a sigh. It seemed unless his friends were off shift when he was, he never had any plans.

The stallion was a grey pegasus, a young officer on the Canterlot royal guard. He seemed to have no luck ever finding a date, and didn’t want to think about how many times he had sat in this bar alone.

To his surprise, a larger, dark blue stallion sat down right next to him. He didn’t know who he was, but he wasn’t going to be rude. The stallion could sit where he wanted.

“Ensign Wing,” the stallion said. “How are you?”

Wing’s eyes widened. He looked at the pony next to him. “How do you know my name?” he asked.

“We’ve met before, but you wouldn’t remember,” the blue stallion replied. “My name’s captain Jack Harkness. Nice to see you.”

Wing had no idea how he was blushing just from this stallion saying hello. “Um, hi,” he said, confused but intrigued. “Is there anything else I don’t remember?”

“I offered to buy you a drink once,” Jack replied. “Never got the chance to do it. But I guess you could say I… wanted to badly enough that I found you again. So what do you say? Wanna let me buy you a drink, maybe you can keep finding out more mysteries about me?”

Wing didn’t understand a single thing Jack said, but at the same time, he was nice. He too was a military officer. And he couldn’t shake this strange feeling he got about him…

“Why not,” Wing decided. “I’ll accept that drink.”

“Perfect,” Jack replied with a grin. “Let’s talk about how good you are with spears.”

See Jack Harkness, Wing, and
more return in:
Torchwood Equestria- Parallel Loose Ends
Available Now
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/231205/torchwood-equestria-parallel-loose-ends