Doctor Whooves: The Eternals' Prisonby LightOfTriumphChaptersA Nexus of Grey ConcreteNight TerrorsLetter of the LawIncompetent, Irrelevant, and ImmaterialChains and RationsA Nexus of Grey ConcreteHe didn't want to go through the door. He knew it would be waiting for him there. He knew it would talk. It wasn't supposed to talk. Gems weren't supposed to talk. Gems weren't supposed to sing. This gem did both. It looked like a ruby, but it couldn't have been a ruby. Rubies were darker. Also, rubies couldn't sing. This gem could. It sang. It scared him. What was even scarier was that it was starting to make sense. He spent two horrible days of his life being tortured by a madman. Enduring unimaginable pain. But he never gave them up. Not once. He stood firm. No matter what that psycho did to him, he was strong. At the end of the day, what was his tanks for all that he went through? Nothing. Just your normal pat on the back and then he was sent to play with his toys like and infant. All that pain, all that hurt, he walked through hell on Equis and he got... nothing. This was ridiculous. He was proud. He was strong. He was a warrior. It didn't matter if he was small, he was an adult. There were cities that built statues in his honor! He was part of a race of monsters. He was... He was scared. He didn't want to open the door. He didn't want to hear it sing. He wanted to throw it away. He rarely got what he wanted. He opened the door to see it laying on his desk. It looked like the still beating heart of one of its victims. It had no eyes, but he could feel it looking straight through him. Seeing what he didn't want it to do... And then doing it. "God walked down in the cool of the day, Called Adam by his name, And he refused to answer because He was naked, and ashamed." "Shut up!" he screamed at it. "Just... Just shut up!! I know what you are, and I know what you're doing! I-I want you out! Gone! If you don't stop I'm going to tell P-" "Then go," it hissed smugly. "Please. Go tell your Princess. I'm sure the reward for stopping me will be twice as extravagant a your normal fare. Maybe mistress will give you two biscuits for being such a good by!" "Stop that!" he shouted at it. "That's not how she thinks of me." "I don't give a damn how she thinks of you," it spat at him. "I care what you are. And what you are is a lapdog. Cute. Puny. Loyal. And stupid. You jump through all of these hoops to please Mistress, and all Mistress will ever do is pat you on the head and give you the occasional treat. You never get what you really were after. Which is that day when you get to hold the leash. "Now," it hissed. "You can keep doing everything you do to please Mistress. Occasionally getting the occasional goodie balanced on your nose... Or you can answer my question, and I can give you that leash for far more than a day." His eyes widened. "Once more," it hissed. "What do you want?" "We need to ask him about the Death-Killing Salt Shakers of Doom," Vinyl said. "Ever since they attacked Ponyvill- "We've only got three questions!" Octavia whispered. "We need to be careful what we ask about. Only things that are pertinent to the moment!" "Why is he making us do this again?" Vinyl asked. "Because," answered the Doctor, who had heard every word. "There will come a time where you will need certain information from me in a very limited amount of time. You must learn to zero in on the important information, and leave behind all of the other flotsam and jetsam. Three questions. And, of course, follow up questions when confused by my answers. Begin." Vinyl looked around the control room. "Alright," she said. Taking off her shades and looking straight at the Doctor. "What's with the box? Last box I got in that said 'Police' on it, Octy had to bail me out of jail." "The last three times, if I recall correctly," Octavia corrected. "Now who's not focusing on information pertinent to the moment?" Vinyl asked mockingly. The Doctor smiled. "It's called a TARDIS," he said. "That's 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space.' The normal means of transport for my people, the Time Lords. Bigger on the inside than it is on the out, thanks to a scientific principle called 'Dimensional Transcendentalism.' Very complex. It looks the way it does because of something called a 'Chameleon Circuit.' This allows it to seamlessly blend in with it's surroundings. It's also been broken for centuries, and I don't feel like fixing it. This is a Type 40. While not exactly a top-of-the-line model, even if it was brand new, she's never let me down. She's a tough old bird." "What about your people?" said Octavia, asking question two. "Where are they? Why aren't you with them?" "They're...," the Doctor hesitated. "They're elsewhere. Far beyond my reach... Which is good. It's miles better from where I thought they were a while ago... I thought... It doesn't matter what I thought. They're alright... They will be alright..." The room grew silent. Everyone sensing the emotion of the room. In want of someone to break the awkward silence. Vinyl answered that call. "Alright, Crazy Eyes," she spoke up. "Where are we headed." "I don't think I like this new nickname you have for me," the Doctor straightened up. "My eyes are merely weary with the heavy burden of my memories. And I already told you where we're going." "No, you have the Crazy Eyes," Vinyl insisted. "You shouted 'Next stop, everywhere!' and then this barmy thing took off!" Octavia retorted. "That's all you told us about 'where we're going!'" "Exactly," the Doctor smiled. "We're going Everywhere. The center of the Mutiversal Nexus! Where all universes run together on the only fixed spacial point in all of reality. The Center of Everything." "Sounds cool," Vinyl said. "What's there?" "All logic would say," the Doctor sighed. "The single largest Quantum Singularity ever to exist... A black hole one billion trillion times the power of the Great Attractor." Vinyl stared at the Doctor open mouthed. Desperately searching for the words to respond to that information. Luckily, Octavia found them for her. "Why are we going to such a horrible sounding dangerously unsafe place?!" "Because the terribly important bit of paper told us to," the Doctor smiled. "Anyway, I honestly don't think we shall meet our immediate demise upon arrival!" "Why did you emphasize the word 'immediate'?" Vinyl asked weakly. "Besides," the Doctor looked around at a few monitors. "I think logic might be wrong... We've landed." "Wait, landed?" Octavia asked. "Landed where?" "I'm not sure," the Doctor smiled. "The sensors aren't picking up anything... Nothing they could make out, in any case... Hmm... I would suppose there is only one way to find out." The Doctor marched over to the door. "Wait!" Vinyl said, slightly panicking now. "Didn't you say there was a freakin' black hole out there?! How do you know its safe?!" "Oh, it isn't, I'm sure!" the Doctor smiled. "Not in the slightest. But there's no black hole out there! I've landed on a thing. Instead of... Well dying, I suppose." "Comforting," Octavia said dryly. "Doctor, we don't know what's out there!" Vinyl protested. "Well then," the Doctor smiled. "I think it's time we found out, eh what?" The Doctor walked out the TARDIS door. There were many things that Octavia expected to see when she stepped out into the Multiversal Nexus. A grey concrete floor wasn't any of them. The grey concrete floor was connected to grey concrete walls. Along the grey concrete walls were dotted many sets of steel bars. Behind each set of steel bars was a bed. In each bed was a figure tossing and turning. Watching each figure that was tossing and turning were ponies. On each of these ponies was a blue uniform with several official looking patches. "This," Octavia said quietly. "This looks..." "Familiar," Vinyl finished for her. "Doc, are you sure we're in space?" "Oh yes," the Doctor said. "We are, in fact, so far beyond normal physical understanding, that pur brains have had to simplify it so that we don't go mad. Very interesting." "Where are we?" Octavia asked. "Where does it look like we are?" the Doctor smiled. "The very last place you'd want to end up. Vinyl Scratch, Octavia melody... "Welcome to prison." Author's Note And now that the majority of you are asking "What the hell is going on?" I will simply say "see you in chapter 2. Please rate and comment. Night Terrors"Prison?!" Octavia asked, obviously shocked. "There is a prison here?! For what?! Who's so dangerous that they have to be locked up in the center of all reality?!" "Indeed," the Doctor smiled. "Most intriguing. Perhaps we should ask. Excuse me, guard?" The guard patrolling them noticed them, shrugged, then promptly went about his business patrolling the halls. "Excuse me?" The Doctor repeated. The guard continued on his way. "I see," the Doctor smiled. "So that's it... I can't say its lovely to see you chaps again. Though this is interesting... Very, very interesting..." "What kind of crap is this?!" Vinyl was getting angry at getting ignored. "HEY NUMBNUTS!!! WE'RE TALKING TO YOU!" "Vinyl!" Octavia hissed. "Oh, don't worry," the Doctor said. "She won't attract any attention. None of us will..." "What?" Vinyl asked, confused. "What are we, invisible?" "Worse than that," the Doctor sighed. "Unimportant." Vinyl and Octavia tilted their heads. "These beings are eternal," the Doctor explained. "They live forever, and have lived for billions and billions of years. They've lived so long that they can't remember what it's like to be ephemeral, like us. So eventually... They stopped considering us life. Or at least any kind of life more threatening than a rat or insect. We're too small, too temporary. We don't even register on their radar." "Well," Vinyl sighed. "That puts us in perspective, don't it." "Quite," the Doctor replied. "On the other hand I think we can use this to our advantage... Let's look in a few cells, shall we? I don't think they'll mind..." The Doctor, Vinyl and Octavia began to look through the ground floor of the prison. vinyl took care to shove a few guards down to the ground along the way. In the cells they saw a myriad of different species. Many humans from different time periods, some with very oddly colored skin, more than a few Silurians, a few species the Doctor didn't recognize, and even a Cyberman. They all had one thing in common however. They were all laid up in bed, tossing and turning like they hadn't even heard of a good night's sleep. "Hey!" Vinyl said happily. "Check it out! Death killing salt shaker of doom! Sweet." The Doctor ran over to the cell Vinyl was looking in, and sure enough, nestled in a specially designed socket in a back wall was a Dalek. Wired. Immobile. Muttering to itself. "Oh, look at you..." The Doctor shook it's head. "I'm not sure even you deserve what's happening to you... I could almost pity you... Almost..." "It ended up in jail!!" Vinyl laughed. "Priceless!! Serves you right, you Tin Can..." "No, Vinyl, it doesn't," the Doctor frowned. "There is nothing right about this. Something is very very wrong... Indescribably wrong...." "What?" Vinyl was puzzled. "You're saying this thing doesn't deserve to be here? This is one of the flying exterminate robots, right?" "It's a mutant," the Doctor clarified. "Sorry," Vinyl said dryly. "It's called a Dalek," the Doctor said quietly. "A mutant native of the planet Skarro. They are the most ruthless killing machines in the entire multiverse. They have meant the end of hundreds of species, including my own. They are the most evil, vile, cruel and sadistic creatures in the whole of reality... And right now, they are the very least of our worries..." "Excuse me?!" Vinyl's eyes widened. "Think about what I've told you about this prison!" the Doctor said in hushed tones. "It's run by beings who do not see mortal life as intelligent life. So why exactly are all the prisoners here, for lack of a better word, ephemeral? Vinyl thought for a moment. "Wait, so this isn't a prison?" Vinyl asked. "Is this some kind of weird alien zoo?" "Very good guess," the Doctor smiled. "But wrong, I'm afraid. We are seeing a prison, and while our minds are simplifying the specifics, a prison is where we are. No, the problem is with the prisoners..." "Yeah," Vinyl thought. "If we're basically bugs to these people, why are so many of them locked up?" "One of two reasons," the Doctor frowned. "Either each and every one of these people has done something so horrendous and destrcutive so as to attract the attention of Eternal beings who see them as no more than mice..." "Or?" "Or...," the Doctor straightened up. "The much, much worse option. I need to find somepony in charge. Immediately I have more than a few questions to ask..." "How are you going to find them?" Vinyl asked. "And even if you did, how are you going to get them to talk to you?" "Oh, they'll talk to me," the Doctor gave a mad grin. "We have a history." Vinyl paused. "Why do I have this sinking feeling you belong in here with the salt shaker?" "Aha," the Doctor chuckled. "Well, it was hardly my fault. There were the Guardians, and I had to make a negotiation, there was a crystal and a red-headed boy, it was complicated. Anyway, what else can you tell me about the prisoners?" "Oh, what, you're testing me now?" Vinyl asked. "Indeed I am," the Doctor grinned. "Go on." Vinyl looked around and thought for a moment. "Uhh...," she began intelligently. "They're all asleep." "Correct!" the Doctor bellowed. "Not just asleep but in a very deep induced coma. And every single one of these prisoners isn't sleeping well. They're all tossing and turning... Now... I've taken care of children before and I know when a little one is having very bad dreams." "Nightmares?" Vinyl asked. "Night terrors more like," the Doctor sighed. "Force fed into their minds on a constant loop. An absolute mental hell for each of them... Torturing them with their own minds... Hmmm... A long time ago, way back in history..." "That's just messed up!" Vinyl said shocked. "Is 'Cruel and Unusual not a thing in space or--" "Doctor?!" called a shocked Octavia from across the hall. The Doctor and Vinyl both ran to the cell she was inspecting, and suddenly the Doctor understood. He understood why Blue sent him here... He understood what he needed to do. He understood everything that was going to happen... And then he suddenly didn't. From out of the shadows stepped a young mare, about Vinyl and Octavia's age. She had a caramel colored coat and pinkish-purple short cut mane and tail. For some reason, she was wearing an orange button down shirt. "His name is Blue," she said quietly. "Do you know him?" Author's Note And it begins.... Bwahahaha Please rate and comment! Letter of the Law"If I were to hazard a guess," the Doctor smiled and extended a hoof to the new mare. "I take it you're Blade?" The mare was a little surprised. "Yes, actually," Blade said. "Blade Runner, how did you know that?" "Blade Runner? the Doctor said, amused. "Really? Have you seen things we ponies wouldn't believe? Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion? Did you watch C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate?" Blade looked confused. "I'm sorry?" "Forgive me," the Doctor laughed. "Not your dimension. I am the Doctor, this is VInyl Scratch, and Octavia Melody. And yes, we are acquaintances of Blue's." "How do you know him?" Blade asked. "That's...," the Doctor thought about how to explain the scenario. "Complicated. May I ask first... How did you get here? More importantly, why are you here? I don't understand what you could have done to warrant the attention of Eternals..." "I don't know," Blade said quietly. "One day we were sitting on a hill having a picnic, the same place we had our first date... He said he had something he wanted to show me and then... Then nothing. I blacked out and that's when the nightmares started. I don't know why this happened or why they want me... Or even why they've been ignoring me." "Ignoring you?" the Doctor asked. "Yeah," Blade nodded. "I got out of my cell a month ago. I've just been wandering around since then... Listening in on a few conversations... I tried to ask for answers, but no matter what I did, they didn't seem to care." "Indeed," the Doctor said quietly. "Typical of these creatures... Tell me, why haven't you left yet? I'm sure one of the first things I'd do was look for a way out, and with the lax security of this place, one would think you'd find it..." "I did, in a way," Blade sighed. "This whole place is one giant ship. There's a control room. If I could get in there, I could release everyone here... Maybe even send them home. The problem is that I can't. It can only be entered by somepony with a key. To my knowledge there's only five of them. And even if I got their attention... They're cranky." "I would presume," the Doctor sighed. "How did you wake up? No one else here can..." "I don't know," Blade shrugged. "I was assuming it was just dumb luck." "Quite," the Doctor frowned. "One last thing. Why haven't you tried to break out Blue? Surely you don't need to destroy the whole ship, you just need to get your lover and get out of here." "I tried," Blade said quickly. "But I can't, and I'm not leaving without him. The big idiot would do the same thing for me..." "I see," the Doctor said, staring right through blade. "He must have been an admiral a sultan or a king..." "Where you had your first date," Octavia was beginning to tear up. "Something he wanted to... Oh my goodness... He was going to--!" "Surprise her with something," Vinyl interrupted quickly. "And it isn't our place to spoil that surprise, is it Octy?" "No, of course not," Octavia said, sniffing sharply and composing herself. "Quite right. Not the time or place." "What are they talking about?" Blade asked the Doctor. "Yes," the Doctor said quietly. "Right. I must speak with the people in charge. If you could lead me to them, dear girl." A door swung open at the end of the hallway. Two ponies with powdered wigs walked in bickering with each other. "Here comes two of them now," Blade sighed. "There is no call for the prisoner's case to go back to trial!" one shouted. "The conviction was settled millennia ago. I have no reason to believe that conviction was faulty, Counselor!" "Of course you wouldn't!" the other argued. "You were the one that sent my client up the river on these trumped up charges! My client was injured and unable to properly defend himself or face his accusers! Might I add that the one who injured him so gravely was the real culprit. And now he is prepared to make a statement." "I have no wish to hear your client's statement," the first argued back. "Who are they?" Vinyl asked as the bickering continued. "Lawyers," Blade said bitterly. "Indeed!" the Doctor said excited. "If I am not mistaken, and I am surely not, the one on the left is the Crown Prosecutor, whilst the one on the right is a Barrister! Astounding! A trial system not dissimilar to that of Great Britain. I assume that there are at least two more men like this? Significant players?" "Three that I can count," Blade frowned. "There's the warden... He argues with the Barrister a lot. He's i charge of the day to day operations of the prison. He creeps me out... It's almost like he... Never mind. Then there's a guy in a suit. He seems to talk with the Barrister a lot. The he goes and talks to the client." "Ah! That should be the Solicitor," the Doctor smiled. "While the Barrister argues the case for the court, it is the Solicitor's duty to personally handle the client. And the last one?" "The Judge," Blade said shakily. "He's loud, obnoxious and constantly pissed off. You want to avoid him if you can, and whatever you do, don't get on his bad side." "Oh, dear lady," the Doctor sighed. "I'm quite afraid I shall have to... First things first however. I must speak to these gentlemen." "How are you going to attract their attention?" Octavia asked quietly. "They don't even consider us sentient life..." "Miss Melody, fear not," the Doctor smiled. "Before I do that however, I must ask... Do you know who their client is, Ms. Runner?" "The guy in solitary," Blade replied. "The only guy in solitary. Why do you ask?" "Because I think I do know who it is," the Doctor smiled. "And the exact nature of the problem, and this prison. Octavia?" The Doctor removed a small metal rod with a blinking red light on the top and handed it to Octavia. "That will get you through Blue's cell door. Wake him and take him back to the TARDIS as soon as possible." "What if I can't wake him?" Octavia asked. "You can," the Doctor said frankly. "You might want to wait until we've left the room so as not to get caught... Not that I'm sure they'd care." "You're not making any sense," Octavia said. "Good, that means you're still sane," the Doctor smiled. "Now, time to cause a stir." The Doctor knew four words that brought panic and dismay to any species. If that species had ever traveled among the stars and seen what space had to offer, these words had meaning. That meaning was worry. Because whether they saw these four words as good news or bad news, it meant things were much worse than they originally thought. The Doctor stepped up and spoke them loud and clear... "Hello! I'm the Doctor!" The Barrister and the Crown Prosecutor snapped their heads in the Doctor's direction. Alarms went off. Red lights flashed throughout the prison. Thousands of guards poured into the hall and surrounded the four ponies. All of them pointing dome kind of weapon at the Doctor. Ready to strike if he so much as blinked. "I daresay I have attracted their attention!" the Doctor laughed. The Barrister slowly stepped forward. "Doctor who?" "Oh, come now chaps," the Doctor grinned smugly. "You know." Author's Note I'm not sure... WHY this particular OC is named after one of the greatest Sci-Fi movies of all time, (ask Graymayne) but those Rutger Hauer quotes are all the jokes I'm gonna do with it. I promise... Okay, ONE more. LIVE THE GOOD LIFE IN THE OFF-WORLD COLONIES, Please rate and comment! Incompetent, Irrelevant, and Immaterial"What are you doing here?!" the Barrister demanded. The Doctor merely smiled, unfazed by the thousands of armed guards surrounding. "And a very good afternoon to you, Barrister," the Doctor said politely. "Have we met before, or did I warrant all of this merely by reputation?" "What is your business here?!" the Crown prosecutor demanded. "We will not ask you again!" "Oh, look at you," the Doctor said, not flinching. "You make a much better Prosecutor than you did a ship's captain... If that was you. It could have been you. You've got the same pompous air of superiority that... Well, let's be honest, only I can carry off..." A pony in a gray uniform marched through the guards and approached the conversation. "What's going on?!" he demanded. "Who are these Ephemerals?" "This is the Doctor," the Barrister growled. "This is the man who cost us the Enlightenment." "Cost you nothing," the Doctor laughed. "It went to the person who needed it most. A dear friend of mine by the name of Visitor Thurlough. More shenanigans from the Guardians, I'm afraid..." "Ultimate wisdom." the Crown prosecutor spat. "Wasted on an Ephemeral." "Oh let's not focus on the plans I've thwarted in the past," the Doctor said, dismissively waving his hoof. "Let's talk about the plans I will thwart in the future. Namely letting all of these people go and blowing this place to smithereens." "I will not allow such a thing!" the Crown Prosecutor protested. "Guards, escort him back to his TARDIS." "You could do that," the Doctor said, unflinching. "On the other hand, if you did, you would have to deal with the Enlighteners... Wel, at least one of them." The two attorney's paused. "Oh, didn't I say?" said the Doctor, making eye contact with the Barrister. "I'm still on very good terms with the White Guardian! As a matter of fact i just did a rather time consuming favor for him. It cost me a regeneration, I'm afraid. But he promised he would make it up to me in any way he can." The Attorney's were stunned. "Now," the Doctor turned to the Warden. "Warden? I would like to assess some information about this facility. This is a prison ship, yes?" "Y-yes," the Eternal stumbled, obviously intimidated. "Yes... It's simply called The Hold... It is used only for the most dangerous criminals in the multiverse." "So what of these people?" the Doctor asked. "What did they do to deserve this punishment?" The Crown Prosecutor scoffed. "The Prisoner is not sentenced to death!" he said. "And even if he was we are not so carry out the sentence in such a brutal manner!" "'So cruel a..." Vinyl sputtered unable to control herself. "You've trapped these people in a world of never ending nightmares! Killing them would be less cruel than this!!" "Doctor," the Barrister looked worried. "Your... pet appears to be agitated." "Oh, wow," Vinyl marched up to the Eternals. "Call me a pet, again. Do it, I dare you, Call me a pet one more time, Dipstick!!" Vinyl looked as if she was going to try to end an everlasting life. "Now, now, Vinyl. Keep calm," the Doctor smiled. "He simply doesn't understand. Not that that excuses any of this. You said that prisoners are not sentenced to death. That's not what I asked. I asked why these people are interred here." "The prisoner is not sentenced to death," the Barrister said, obviously confused. The Doctor raised an eyebrow. He understood a little better now. "I see," he frowned. "Barrister, whom do you represent?" "I have taken up the case of prisoner R67-8." the Barrister said pompously. "Interred here for crimes against reality. All on the back of trumped up evidence and an unreliable witness." "Witness?" the Doctor asked. "Who was the witness?" The Barrister merely sneered. The Doctor shook his head. "Right then, if you're just going to sit there and be obstinate, I'm done talking with you." The Doctor began to briskly walk past the guards. "Where are you going?!" the Barrister protested. "You are not going anywhere near my client!" "I suspect I've been near your client already," the Doctor sighed. "No, I was going to explore this prison and find out the exact nature of it. I have my suspicions, and if I'm right about any of them, I shall be very cross... And I have a feeling I am correct bout a great deal. "Forgive me, Doctor," the Warden protested. "It's more than my job's worth to let you wander the facility without a pass. I beg you, for the sake of sparing my sanity, meet with His Honor." "The Judge?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Alright... I suppose I could. A quick question beforehand, however. Why is he here?" "I'm sorry?" the Warden asked. "This is a prison ship, yes?" The Doctor asked. "You aren't required to have a Justice on board, are you?" "The Prisoner's case is up for appeal," the Crown Prosecutor sneered. "A flaw in the system i you ask me..." "And that's another thing!" the Doctor protested. "Who are you working for?! What system?! What government do you represent? What laws, for which people, did the Prisoner break?!" "What laws?" the Barrister asked. "Which people? Doctor, in this confused cascading, churning reality, only one thing is constant and reliable. Us. In this chaos we call existence, we are the authority. We try, we sentence, and if necessary we execute. "There are no 'laws,' Doctor. We are the Law." The Doctor stared blankly at the barrister. "Right then," he said. A little quieter than usual. "Several words come to mind... Tinpot... That's a good one... Also delusions of grandeur... That's more of a phrase than a word... The word 'Dread' is also appearing in my head for some reason, but it's spelled wrong... Anyway, I think I'd best see the Judge so that I may exit this little Mad-Hatter's Tea Party. Vinyl, Ms. Runner. You come with me. Octavia, you know what to do. And the minute you do get him back to the TARDIS. "I have a feeling I will join you shortly." Author's Note There! I published a thingy! Which is good, because I should be getting Pokemon Moon today, and that's gonna eat up week or two. Sorry this chapter took so long, but Presidential Elections, Trump, and what's worse, anti-Trump Democrats. Please rate and comment. Chains and RationsThe Judge liked to keep things organized. Fair. Orderly. He and his peers had brought law to this lawless universe and he was going to keep it controlled. The prisoner had been tried once, and he had been granted one appeal. He would get that appeal. The Judge would hear his case and any counterarguments the defense had. Because he was fair. More than anything else, he was fair. He sat down at his bench and prepared his documents. He looked over the prisoners case. This prisoner had been accused of crimes against reality. He had interfered in the work of the guardians and meddled in the affairs of Ephemerals without a permit. This creature had wormed its way into the ear of many sentient beings. He was stopped by... When the Judge read the name, he shuddered... The door swung open, and in walked the Barrister, the Crown Prosecutor, the Warden, and three Ephemeral beings. The one in the middle spoke up in an unfamiliar voice, but with a very familiar attitude. "Funny story!" he said, in a jovial voice. "A friend of mine, a nice lad, a bit odd, decided that he needed to send me here in this horrendous corner of spacetime! For the life of me I could hardly imagine why, but then guess who I ran into? Him! A bit further back in his timeline. Being held prisoner here without cause. That would have been bad enough, but then I did something. I thought. Frightful habit, I've been trying to kick it. I began to realize that you had done something much worse than imprisoning him in an endless nightmare. He is simply being used as a utility by a bunch of pompous nerks in powdered wigs." It was going to be a very long day. "Isn't that right, Your Honor?" grinned the Doctor. It didn't take Octavia long to get through the cell door using the device the Doctor gave her, but when she got in the cell she didn't know what to do... She looked at the unconscious Blue for a moment, utterly puzzled. Finally he sat down next to the bed and simply talked to him. She could think of nothing else to do. "Could you do me a favor?" she asked quietly. "And wake up? It seems unwise to jostle you when you're in this state... I don't know what that shock would do to you... Um... Shouting seems unwise as well... Truth be told the Doctor didn't exactly tell me what to do... I'm at a bit of a loss..." She exhaled loudly. "I want to thank you...," she said. "If it hadn't been for you, I would have done something horrible... Though I suppose you haven't done it yet... Truth be told, I don't even know you... Yes I do. I do a little at least... You're a good soul, you have to be. Either that or your so head over heels in love with this mare that you would do something as drastic as that... By the way, she's all right! She's just fine, she's worried about you. But you'll be alright. Anyone strong enough to keep something like that Mara creature in check--" With that Blue's eyes opened wide and sat bolt upright in bed. "SNAKE EYES!" "I know you," the Judge said incredulously. "Yes you do," the Doctor smiled. "And that's why you're shaking." "Hardly," the Judge scoffed. "I am merely irritated at the destruction of my lovely peaceful day. It was going to be a simple hearing, at the end of which I was going to give a simple and clear verdict. Now of course, you've arrived to re-testify, and you have put things quite out of order..." "I will give no testimony," the Doctor was getting rather serious now. "There will be no hearing. By what authority do you have the right to imprison these people?" "Our own,"the Judge said frankly. "The prisoner has committed crimes against us. It shall be punished." "Hundreds of people," the Doctor shouted. "Thousands! Suffering in a never ending nightmare! What sort of crime could all of these people have done to warrant such a punishment?!" "I don't know what you're talking about," the Judge scoffed. "The prisoner's hearing is in few moments. When it's held, you may give your testimony on his actions." "Screw the hearing!" Vinyl shouted. "I don't know why you guys are focusing so much on this one dude, but there are thousands of people here! One of them is a friend of mine! I don't know how Blade managed to get out of it, but others are suffering! This has to stop!!" Then something clicked in the Doctor's brain. It was the combination of Blade and Vinyl's words that at lat put everything together. The Doctor relaxed a little. Things were less urgent. Much more frightening, but less urgent. "Warden," the Doctor smiled. "I have three questions. Firstly, how many Ephemeral wards like the one we just left are on this ship?" The Warden looked nervous. "Two...," he said. "But the second--" "Has them emitting a stream of constant positive energy," the Doctor smiled. "A fools Paradise... Second question now... Have the Ephemerals aboard this ship committed any sort of crime or offense against you, your people, or indeed at all?" The Warden seemed perplexed by the question. "Crimes? Doctor I don-" "I shall take that as a no," the Doctor was getting very quiet now, and very very cross. "Last question. How many prisoners are currently held within this facility." The Warden looked at the Doctor a if concerned for his well-being. "We have only the one." And there it was. It all made sense now. It all came together. Blue... Blade... Why the Doctor met Blue in the state that he did. All of it. He got a preview of the end of the story. This was the beginning. "I don't understand," Vinyl said. "If there's only one prisoner, what about--" "Oh Vinyl, don't be silly!" the Doctor said, with a bit of forced pleasantry. "Remember, to these... sickeningly smug creatures... The only life that counts as life is immortal life! They wouldn't waste resources holding Ephemeral beings. Punishing them for crimes! It would be like imprisoning a deck chair. No, no, no... They're rations." "What?" Vinyl asked. "What are you-" "We weren't in the prison," the Doctor explained. "We haven't seen the prison. We saw many sentient beings being held in captivity and our minds filled in the blanks... No... We were in the commissary... A great big banquet of suffering and misery to feed the one and only prisoner." "Of course," the Barrister said. "My client requires the negative energy of Ephemerals. He has not been sentenced to death." "No he hasn't," the Doctor's vernier was starting to crack. As polite as he was being he was obviously very, very angry. "The other ward. The ward filled with people trapped in a euphoric dream state... That's to keep the prisoner contained isn't it? Chains made of false pleasure... Giving them a perfect dream to compensate for you wasting their lives... For how long has this been going on? How many people have wted away in their beds as you changed them out like light bulbs? How can you be so impossibly smug? How can you waste your powers, my time, and these peoples lives and still consider any squinting insignificant insect to be a lesser being than you!?" He was an inch from the Crown prosecutors face now. He could feel the Murder in his eyes. "And more importantly," the Doctor said quietly. "Why did Vinyl Scratch have to be the one to ask all of those questions..." The Doctor turned and looked at Blade Runner. "I'm sorry?" "Ms. Runner?" the Doctor asked politely. "Will you please roll up your left sleeve?" Blue was darting around the cell, pacing back and forth, mumbling words that were making Octavia very nervous. "Snake Eyes," he mumbled. "Riverboat... Canterlot... Upper Crust... Snake Eyes... I still remember... Galilee... What is Galilee!?" "I don't understand," Octavia said, now thoroughly bewildered. "I don't know who you are," Blue was looking right at her. "But we have to leave. We have to leave right now!" "But Blade..." Octavia said shakily. "She's with some friends of mine..." "You don't understand," Blue said. "That's not Blade!" Vinyl gazed at the mark on Blade's foreleg. "No..." She shook her head. "It can't..." "It is," the Doctor smiled. "Don't worry, I don't think it's actually here... My guess is it escaped some time ago..." "Less time than you think!" Blade said happily, now with a hissing undertone in her voice. "Only been about a year... A young mare who had a meet up with her bae interrupted... Especially considering what that night may have meant. She made te perfect vessel for her. What's getting me is how you know her... She doesn't know you... "Doctor, have we been meeting out of order?" asked the Mara. Author's Note Who saw that coming, huh? Everyone, nimrod. It's on the cover. Shut up, you. Please rate and comment!
A Nexus of Grey ConcreteHe didn't want to go through the door. He knew it would be waiting for him there. He knew it would talk. It wasn't supposed to talk. Gems weren't supposed to talk. Gems weren't supposed to sing. This gem did both. It looked like a ruby, but it couldn't have been a ruby. Rubies were darker. Also, rubies couldn't sing. This gem could. It sang. It scared him. What was even scarier was that it was starting to make sense. He spent two horrible days of his life being tortured by a madman. Enduring unimaginable pain. But he never gave them up. Not once. He stood firm. No matter what that psycho did to him, he was strong. At the end of the day, what was his tanks for all that he went through? Nothing. Just your normal pat on the back and then he was sent to play with his toys like and infant. All that pain, all that hurt, he walked through hell on Equis and he got... nothing. This was ridiculous. He was proud. He was strong. He was a warrior. It didn't matter if he was small, he was an adult. There were cities that built statues in his honor! He was part of a race of monsters. He was... He was scared. He didn't want to open the door. He didn't want to hear it sing. He wanted to throw it away. He rarely got what he wanted. He opened the door to see it laying on his desk. It looked like the still beating heart of one of its victims. It had no eyes, but he could feel it looking straight through him. Seeing what he didn't want it to do... And then doing it. "God walked down in the cool of the day, Called Adam by his name, And he refused to answer because He was naked, and ashamed." "Shut up!" he screamed at it. "Just... Just shut up!! I know what you are, and I know what you're doing! I-I want you out! Gone! If you don't stop I'm going to tell P-" "Then go," it hissed smugly. "Please. Go tell your Princess. I'm sure the reward for stopping me will be twice as extravagant a your normal fare. Maybe mistress will give you two biscuits for being such a good by!" "Stop that!" he shouted at it. "That's not how she thinks of me." "I don't give a damn how she thinks of you," it spat at him. "I care what you are. And what you are is a lapdog. Cute. Puny. Loyal. And stupid. You jump through all of these hoops to please Mistress, and all Mistress will ever do is pat you on the head and give you the occasional treat. You never get what you really were after. Which is that day when you get to hold the leash. "Now," it hissed. "You can keep doing everything you do to please Mistress. Occasionally getting the occasional goodie balanced on your nose... Or you can answer my question, and I can give you that leash for far more than a day." His eyes widened. "Once more," it hissed. "What do you want?" "We need to ask him about the Death-Killing Salt Shakers of Doom," Vinyl said. "Ever since they attacked Ponyvill- "We've only got three questions!" Octavia whispered. "We need to be careful what we ask about. Only things that are pertinent to the moment!" "Why is he making us do this again?" Vinyl asked. "Because," answered the Doctor, who had heard every word. "There will come a time where you will need certain information from me in a very limited amount of time. You must learn to zero in on the important information, and leave behind all of the other flotsam and jetsam. Three questions. And, of course, follow up questions when confused by my answers. Begin." Vinyl looked around the control room. "Alright," she said. Taking off her shades and looking straight at the Doctor. "What's with the box? Last box I got in that said 'Police' on it, Octy had to bail me out of jail." "The last three times, if I recall correctly," Octavia corrected. "Now who's not focusing on information pertinent to the moment?" Vinyl asked mockingly. The Doctor smiled. "It's called a TARDIS," he said. "That's 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space.' The normal means of transport for my people, the Time Lords. Bigger on the inside than it is on the out, thanks to a scientific principle called 'Dimensional Transcendentalism.' Very complex. It looks the way it does because of something called a 'Chameleon Circuit.' This allows it to seamlessly blend in with it's surroundings. It's also been broken for centuries, and I don't feel like fixing it. This is a Type 40. While not exactly a top-of-the-line model, even if it was brand new, she's never let me down. She's a tough old bird." "What about your people?" said Octavia, asking question two. "Where are they? Why aren't you with them?" "They're...," the Doctor hesitated. "They're elsewhere. Far beyond my reach... Which is good. It's miles better from where I thought they were a while ago... I thought... It doesn't matter what I thought. They're alright... They will be alright..." The room grew silent. Everyone sensing the emotion of the room. In want of someone to break the awkward silence. Vinyl answered that call. "Alright, Crazy Eyes," she spoke up. "Where are we headed." "I don't think I like this new nickname you have for me," the Doctor straightened up. "My eyes are merely weary with the heavy burden of my memories. And I already told you where we're going." "No, you have the Crazy Eyes," Vinyl insisted. "You shouted 'Next stop, everywhere!' and then this barmy thing took off!" Octavia retorted. "That's all you told us about 'where we're going!'" "Exactly," the Doctor smiled. "We're going Everywhere. The center of the Mutiversal Nexus! Where all universes run together on the only fixed spacial point in all of reality. The Center of Everything." "Sounds cool," Vinyl said. "What's there?" "All logic would say," the Doctor sighed. "The single largest Quantum Singularity ever to exist... A black hole one billion trillion times the power of the Great Attractor." Vinyl stared at the Doctor open mouthed. Desperately searching for the words to respond to that information. Luckily, Octavia found them for her. "Why are we going to such a horrible sounding dangerously unsafe place?!" "Because the terribly important bit of paper told us to," the Doctor smiled. "Anyway, I honestly don't think we shall meet our immediate demise upon arrival!" "Why did you emphasize the word 'immediate'?" Vinyl asked weakly. "Besides," the Doctor looked around at a few monitors. "I think logic might be wrong... We've landed." "Wait, landed?" Octavia asked. "Landed where?" "I'm not sure," the Doctor smiled. "The sensors aren't picking up anything... Nothing they could make out, in any case... Hmm... I would suppose there is only one way to find out." The Doctor marched over to the door. "Wait!" Vinyl said, slightly panicking now. "Didn't you say there was a freakin' black hole out there?! How do you know its safe?!" "Oh, it isn't, I'm sure!" the Doctor smiled. "Not in the slightest. But there's no black hole out there! I've landed on a thing. Instead of... Well dying, I suppose." "Comforting," Octavia said dryly. "Doctor, we don't know what's out there!" Vinyl protested. "Well then," the Doctor smiled. "I think it's time we found out, eh what?" The Doctor walked out the TARDIS door. There were many things that Octavia expected to see when she stepped out into the Multiversal Nexus. A grey concrete floor wasn't any of them. The grey concrete floor was connected to grey concrete walls. Along the grey concrete walls were dotted many sets of steel bars. Behind each set of steel bars was a bed. In each bed was a figure tossing and turning. Watching each figure that was tossing and turning were ponies. On each of these ponies was a blue uniform with several official looking patches. "This," Octavia said quietly. "This looks..." "Familiar," Vinyl finished for her. "Doc, are you sure we're in space?" "Oh yes," the Doctor said. "We are, in fact, so far beyond normal physical understanding, that pur brains have had to simplify it so that we don't go mad. Very interesting." "Where are we?" Octavia asked. "Where does it look like we are?" the Doctor smiled. "The very last place you'd want to end up. Vinyl Scratch, Octavia melody... "Welcome to prison." Author's Note And now that the majority of you are asking "What the hell is going on?" I will simply say "see you in chapter 2. Please rate and comment.
Night Terrors"Prison?!" Octavia asked, obviously shocked. "There is a prison here?! For what?! Who's so dangerous that they have to be locked up in the center of all reality?!" "Indeed," the Doctor smiled. "Most intriguing. Perhaps we should ask. Excuse me, guard?" The guard patrolling them noticed them, shrugged, then promptly went about his business patrolling the halls. "Excuse me?" The Doctor repeated. The guard continued on his way. "I see," the Doctor smiled. "So that's it... I can't say its lovely to see you chaps again. Though this is interesting... Very, very interesting..." "What kind of crap is this?!" Vinyl was getting angry at getting ignored. "HEY NUMBNUTS!!! WE'RE TALKING TO YOU!" "Vinyl!" Octavia hissed. "Oh, don't worry," the Doctor said. "She won't attract any attention. None of us will..." "What?" Vinyl asked, confused. "What are we, invisible?" "Worse than that," the Doctor sighed. "Unimportant." Vinyl and Octavia tilted their heads. "These beings are eternal," the Doctor explained. "They live forever, and have lived for billions and billions of years. They've lived so long that they can't remember what it's like to be ephemeral, like us. So eventually... They stopped considering us life. Or at least any kind of life more threatening than a rat or insect. We're too small, too temporary. We don't even register on their radar." "Well," Vinyl sighed. "That puts us in perspective, don't it." "Quite," the Doctor replied. "On the other hand I think we can use this to our advantage... Let's look in a few cells, shall we? I don't think they'll mind..." The Doctor, Vinyl and Octavia began to look through the ground floor of the prison. vinyl took care to shove a few guards down to the ground along the way. In the cells they saw a myriad of different species. Many humans from different time periods, some with very oddly colored skin, more than a few Silurians, a few species the Doctor didn't recognize, and even a Cyberman. They all had one thing in common however. They were all laid up in bed, tossing and turning like they hadn't even heard of a good night's sleep. "Hey!" Vinyl said happily. "Check it out! Death killing salt shaker of doom! Sweet." The Doctor ran over to the cell Vinyl was looking in, and sure enough, nestled in a specially designed socket in a back wall was a Dalek. Wired. Immobile. Muttering to itself. "Oh, look at you..." The Doctor shook it's head. "I'm not sure even you deserve what's happening to you... I could almost pity you... Almost..." "It ended up in jail!!" Vinyl laughed. "Priceless!! Serves you right, you Tin Can..." "No, Vinyl, it doesn't," the Doctor frowned. "There is nothing right about this. Something is very very wrong... Indescribably wrong...." "What?" Vinyl was puzzled. "You're saying this thing doesn't deserve to be here? This is one of the flying exterminate robots, right?" "It's a mutant," the Doctor clarified. "Sorry," Vinyl said dryly. "It's called a Dalek," the Doctor said quietly. "A mutant native of the planet Skarro. They are the most ruthless killing machines in the entire multiverse. They have meant the end of hundreds of species, including my own. They are the most evil, vile, cruel and sadistic creatures in the whole of reality... And right now, they are the very least of our worries..." "Excuse me?!" Vinyl's eyes widened. "Think about what I've told you about this prison!" the Doctor said in hushed tones. "It's run by beings who do not see mortal life as intelligent life. So why exactly are all the prisoners here, for lack of a better word, ephemeral? Vinyl thought for a moment. "Wait, so this isn't a prison?" Vinyl asked. "Is this some kind of weird alien zoo?" "Very good guess," the Doctor smiled. "But wrong, I'm afraid. We are seeing a prison, and while our minds are simplifying the specifics, a prison is where we are. No, the problem is with the prisoners..." "Yeah," Vinyl thought. "If we're basically bugs to these people, why are so many of them locked up?" "One of two reasons," the Doctor frowned. "Either each and every one of these people has done something so horrendous and destrcutive so as to attract the attention of Eternal beings who see them as no more than mice..." "Or?" "Or...," the Doctor straightened up. "The much, much worse option. I need to find somepony in charge. Immediately I have more than a few questions to ask..." "How are you going to find them?" Vinyl asked. "And even if you did, how are you going to get them to talk to you?" "Oh, they'll talk to me," the Doctor gave a mad grin. "We have a history." Vinyl paused. "Why do I have this sinking feeling you belong in here with the salt shaker?" "Aha," the Doctor chuckled. "Well, it was hardly my fault. There were the Guardians, and I had to make a negotiation, there was a crystal and a red-headed boy, it was complicated. Anyway, what else can you tell me about the prisoners?" "Oh, what, you're testing me now?" Vinyl asked. "Indeed I am," the Doctor grinned. "Go on." Vinyl looked around and thought for a moment. "Uhh...," she began intelligently. "They're all asleep." "Correct!" the Doctor bellowed. "Not just asleep but in a very deep induced coma. And every single one of these prisoners isn't sleeping well. They're all tossing and turning... Now... I've taken care of children before and I know when a little one is having very bad dreams." "Nightmares?" Vinyl asked. "Night terrors more like," the Doctor sighed. "Force fed into their minds on a constant loop. An absolute mental hell for each of them... Torturing them with their own minds... Hmmm... A long time ago, way back in history..." "That's just messed up!" Vinyl said shocked. "Is 'Cruel and Unusual not a thing in space or--" "Doctor?!" called a shocked Octavia from across the hall. The Doctor and Vinyl both ran to the cell she was inspecting, and suddenly the Doctor understood. He understood why Blue sent him here... He understood what he needed to do. He understood everything that was going to happen... And then he suddenly didn't. From out of the shadows stepped a young mare, about Vinyl and Octavia's age. She had a caramel colored coat and pinkish-purple short cut mane and tail. For some reason, she was wearing an orange button down shirt. "His name is Blue," she said quietly. "Do you know him?" Author's Note And it begins.... Bwahahaha Please rate and comment!
Letter of the Law"If I were to hazard a guess," the Doctor smiled and extended a hoof to the new mare. "I take it you're Blade?" The mare was a little surprised. "Yes, actually," Blade said. "Blade Runner, how did you know that?" "Blade Runner? the Doctor said, amused. "Really? Have you seen things we ponies wouldn't believe? Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion? Did you watch C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate?" Blade looked confused. "I'm sorry?" "Forgive me," the Doctor laughed. "Not your dimension. I am the Doctor, this is VInyl Scratch, and Octavia Melody. And yes, we are acquaintances of Blue's." "How do you know him?" Blade asked. "That's...," the Doctor thought about how to explain the scenario. "Complicated. May I ask first... How did you get here? More importantly, why are you here? I don't understand what you could have done to warrant the attention of Eternals..." "I don't know," Blade said quietly. "One day we were sitting on a hill having a picnic, the same place we had our first date... He said he had something he wanted to show me and then... Then nothing. I blacked out and that's when the nightmares started. I don't know why this happened or why they want me... Or even why they've been ignoring me." "Ignoring you?" the Doctor asked. "Yeah," Blade nodded. "I got out of my cell a month ago. I've just been wandering around since then... Listening in on a few conversations... I tried to ask for answers, but no matter what I did, they didn't seem to care." "Indeed," the Doctor said quietly. "Typical of these creatures... Tell me, why haven't you left yet? I'm sure one of the first things I'd do was look for a way out, and with the lax security of this place, one would think you'd find it..." "I did, in a way," Blade sighed. "This whole place is one giant ship. There's a control room. If I could get in there, I could release everyone here... Maybe even send them home. The problem is that I can't. It can only be entered by somepony with a key. To my knowledge there's only five of them. And even if I got their attention... They're cranky." "I would presume," the Doctor sighed. "How did you wake up? No one else here can..." "I don't know," Blade shrugged. "I was assuming it was just dumb luck." "Quite," the Doctor frowned. "One last thing. Why haven't you tried to break out Blue? Surely you don't need to destroy the whole ship, you just need to get your lover and get out of here." "I tried," Blade said quickly. "But I can't, and I'm not leaving without him. The big idiot would do the same thing for me..." "I see," the Doctor said, staring right through blade. "He must have been an admiral a sultan or a king..." "Where you had your first date," Octavia was beginning to tear up. "Something he wanted to... Oh my goodness... He was going to--!" "Surprise her with something," Vinyl interrupted quickly. "And it isn't our place to spoil that surprise, is it Octy?" "No, of course not," Octavia said, sniffing sharply and composing herself. "Quite right. Not the time or place." "What are they talking about?" Blade asked the Doctor. "Yes," the Doctor said quietly. "Right. I must speak with the people in charge. If you could lead me to them, dear girl." A door swung open at the end of the hallway. Two ponies with powdered wigs walked in bickering with each other. "Here comes two of them now," Blade sighed. "There is no call for the prisoner's case to go back to trial!" one shouted. "The conviction was settled millennia ago. I have no reason to believe that conviction was faulty, Counselor!" "Of course you wouldn't!" the other argued. "You were the one that sent my client up the river on these trumped up charges! My client was injured and unable to properly defend himself or face his accusers! Might I add that the one who injured him so gravely was the real culprit. And now he is prepared to make a statement." "I have no wish to hear your client's statement," the first argued back. "Who are they?" Vinyl asked as the bickering continued. "Lawyers," Blade said bitterly. "Indeed!" the Doctor said excited. "If I am not mistaken, and I am surely not, the one on the left is the Crown Prosecutor, whilst the one on the right is a Barrister! Astounding! A trial system not dissimilar to that of Great Britain. I assume that there are at least two more men like this? Significant players?" "Three that I can count," Blade frowned. "There's the warden... He argues with the Barrister a lot. He's i charge of the day to day operations of the prison. He creeps me out... It's almost like he... Never mind. Then there's a guy in a suit. He seems to talk with the Barrister a lot. The he goes and talks to the client." "Ah! That should be the Solicitor," the Doctor smiled. "While the Barrister argues the case for the court, it is the Solicitor's duty to personally handle the client. And the last one?" "The Judge," Blade said shakily. "He's loud, obnoxious and constantly pissed off. You want to avoid him if you can, and whatever you do, don't get on his bad side." "Oh, dear lady," the Doctor sighed. "I'm quite afraid I shall have to... First things first however. I must speak to these gentlemen." "How are you going to attract their attention?" Octavia asked quietly. "They don't even consider us sentient life..." "Miss Melody, fear not," the Doctor smiled. "Before I do that however, I must ask... Do you know who their client is, Ms. Runner?" "The guy in solitary," Blade replied. "The only guy in solitary. Why do you ask?" "Because I think I do know who it is," the Doctor smiled. "And the exact nature of the problem, and this prison. Octavia?" The Doctor removed a small metal rod with a blinking red light on the top and handed it to Octavia. "That will get you through Blue's cell door. Wake him and take him back to the TARDIS as soon as possible." "What if I can't wake him?" Octavia asked. "You can," the Doctor said frankly. "You might want to wait until we've left the room so as not to get caught... Not that I'm sure they'd care." "You're not making any sense," Octavia said. "Good, that means you're still sane," the Doctor smiled. "Now, time to cause a stir." The Doctor knew four words that brought panic and dismay to any species. If that species had ever traveled among the stars and seen what space had to offer, these words had meaning. That meaning was worry. Because whether they saw these four words as good news or bad news, it meant things were much worse than they originally thought. The Doctor stepped up and spoke them loud and clear... "Hello! I'm the Doctor!" The Barrister and the Crown Prosecutor snapped their heads in the Doctor's direction. Alarms went off. Red lights flashed throughout the prison. Thousands of guards poured into the hall and surrounded the four ponies. All of them pointing dome kind of weapon at the Doctor. Ready to strike if he so much as blinked. "I daresay I have attracted their attention!" the Doctor laughed. The Barrister slowly stepped forward. "Doctor who?" "Oh, come now chaps," the Doctor grinned smugly. "You know." Author's Note I'm not sure... WHY this particular OC is named after one of the greatest Sci-Fi movies of all time, (ask Graymayne) but those Rutger Hauer quotes are all the jokes I'm gonna do with it. I promise... Okay, ONE more. LIVE THE GOOD LIFE IN THE OFF-WORLD COLONIES, Please rate and comment!
Incompetent, Irrelevant, and Immaterial"What are you doing here?!" the Barrister demanded. The Doctor merely smiled, unfazed by the thousands of armed guards surrounding. "And a very good afternoon to you, Barrister," the Doctor said politely. "Have we met before, or did I warrant all of this merely by reputation?" "What is your business here?!" the Crown prosecutor demanded. "We will not ask you again!" "Oh, look at you," the Doctor said, not flinching. "You make a much better Prosecutor than you did a ship's captain... If that was you. It could have been you. You've got the same pompous air of superiority that... Well, let's be honest, only I can carry off..." A pony in a gray uniform marched through the guards and approached the conversation. "What's going on?!" he demanded. "Who are these Ephemerals?" "This is the Doctor," the Barrister growled. "This is the man who cost us the Enlightenment." "Cost you nothing," the Doctor laughed. "It went to the person who needed it most. A dear friend of mine by the name of Visitor Thurlough. More shenanigans from the Guardians, I'm afraid..." "Ultimate wisdom." the Crown prosecutor spat. "Wasted on an Ephemeral." "Oh let's not focus on the plans I've thwarted in the past," the Doctor said, dismissively waving his hoof. "Let's talk about the plans I will thwart in the future. Namely letting all of these people go and blowing this place to smithereens." "I will not allow such a thing!" the Crown Prosecutor protested. "Guards, escort him back to his TARDIS." "You could do that," the Doctor said, unflinching. "On the other hand, if you did, you would have to deal with the Enlighteners... Wel, at least one of them." The two attorney's paused. "Oh, didn't I say?" said the Doctor, making eye contact with the Barrister. "I'm still on very good terms with the White Guardian! As a matter of fact i just did a rather time consuming favor for him. It cost me a regeneration, I'm afraid. But he promised he would make it up to me in any way he can." The Attorney's were stunned. "Now," the Doctor turned to the Warden. "Warden? I would like to assess some information about this facility. This is a prison ship, yes?" "Y-yes," the Eternal stumbled, obviously intimidated. "Yes... It's simply called The Hold... It is used only for the most dangerous criminals in the multiverse." "So what of these people?" the Doctor asked. "What did they do to deserve this punishment?" The Crown Prosecutor scoffed. "The Prisoner is not sentenced to death!" he said. "And even if he was we are not so carry out the sentence in such a brutal manner!" "'So cruel a..." Vinyl sputtered unable to control herself. "You've trapped these people in a world of never ending nightmares! Killing them would be less cruel than this!!" "Doctor," the Barrister looked worried. "Your... pet appears to be agitated." "Oh, wow," Vinyl marched up to the Eternals. "Call me a pet, again. Do it, I dare you, Call me a pet one more time, Dipstick!!" Vinyl looked as if she was going to try to end an everlasting life. "Now, now, Vinyl. Keep calm," the Doctor smiled. "He simply doesn't understand. Not that that excuses any of this. You said that prisoners are not sentenced to death. That's not what I asked. I asked why these people are interred here." "The prisoner is not sentenced to death," the Barrister said, obviously confused. The Doctor raised an eyebrow. He understood a little better now. "I see," he frowned. "Barrister, whom do you represent?" "I have taken up the case of prisoner R67-8." the Barrister said pompously. "Interred here for crimes against reality. All on the back of trumped up evidence and an unreliable witness." "Witness?" the Doctor asked. "Who was the witness?" The Barrister merely sneered. The Doctor shook his head. "Right then, if you're just going to sit there and be obstinate, I'm done talking with you." The Doctor began to briskly walk past the guards. "Where are you going?!" the Barrister protested. "You are not going anywhere near my client!" "I suspect I've been near your client already," the Doctor sighed. "No, I was going to explore this prison and find out the exact nature of it. I have my suspicions, and if I'm right about any of them, I shall be very cross... And I have a feeling I am correct bout a great deal. "Forgive me, Doctor," the Warden protested. "It's more than my job's worth to let you wander the facility without a pass. I beg you, for the sake of sparing my sanity, meet with His Honor." "The Judge?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Alright... I suppose I could. A quick question beforehand, however. Why is he here?" "I'm sorry?" the Warden asked. "This is a prison ship, yes?" The Doctor asked. "You aren't required to have a Justice on board, are you?" "The Prisoner's case is up for appeal," the Crown Prosecutor sneered. "A flaw in the system i you ask me..." "And that's another thing!" the Doctor protested. "Who are you working for?! What system?! What government do you represent? What laws, for which people, did the Prisoner break?!" "What laws?" the Barrister asked. "Which people? Doctor, in this confused cascading, churning reality, only one thing is constant and reliable. Us. In this chaos we call existence, we are the authority. We try, we sentence, and if necessary we execute. "There are no 'laws,' Doctor. We are the Law." The Doctor stared blankly at the barrister. "Right then," he said. A little quieter than usual. "Several words come to mind... Tinpot... That's a good one... Also delusions of grandeur... That's more of a phrase than a word... The word 'Dread' is also appearing in my head for some reason, but it's spelled wrong... Anyway, I think I'd best see the Judge so that I may exit this little Mad-Hatter's Tea Party. Vinyl, Ms. Runner. You come with me. Octavia, you know what to do. And the minute you do get him back to the TARDIS. "I have a feeling I will join you shortly." Author's Note There! I published a thingy! Which is good, because I should be getting Pokemon Moon today, and that's gonna eat up week or two. Sorry this chapter took so long, but Presidential Elections, Trump, and what's worse, anti-Trump Democrats. Please rate and comment.
Chains and RationsThe Judge liked to keep things organized. Fair. Orderly. He and his peers had brought law to this lawless universe and he was going to keep it controlled. The prisoner had been tried once, and he had been granted one appeal. He would get that appeal. The Judge would hear his case and any counterarguments the defense had. Because he was fair. More than anything else, he was fair. He sat down at his bench and prepared his documents. He looked over the prisoners case. This prisoner had been accused of crimes against reality. He had interfered in the work of the guardians and meddled in the affairs of Ephemerals without a permit. This creature had wormed its way into the ear of many sentient beings. He was stopped by... When the Judge read the name, he shuddered... The door swung open, and in walked the Barrister, the Crown Prosecutor, the Warden, and three Ephemeral beings. The one in the middle spoke up in an unfamiliar voice, but with a very familiar attitude. "Funny story!" he said, in a jovial voice. "A friend of mine, a nice lad, a bit odd, decided that he needed to send me here in this horrendous corner of spacetime! For the life of me I could hardly imagine why, but then guess who I ran into? Him! A bit further back in his timeline. Being held prisoner here without cause. That would have been bad enough, but then I did something. I thought. Frightful habit, I've been trying to kick it. I began to realize that you had done something much worse than imprisoning him in an endless nightmare. He is simply being used as a utility by a bunch of pompous nerks in powdered wigs." It was going to be a very long day. "Isn't that right, Your Honor?" grinned the Doctor. It didn't take Octavia long to get through the cell door using the device the Doctor gave her, but when she got in the cell she didn't know what to do... She looked at the unconscious Blue for a moment, utterly puzzled. Finally he sat down next to the bed and simply talked to him. She could think of nothing else to do. "Could you do me a favor?" she asked quietly. "And wake up? It seems unwise to jostle you when you're in this state... I don't know what that shock would do to you... Um... Shouting seems unwise as well... Truth be told the Doctor didn't exactly tell me what to do... I'm at a bit of a loss..." She exhaled loudly. "I want to thank you...," she said. "If it hadn't been for you, I would have done something horrible... Though I suppose you haven't done it yet... Truth be told, I don't even know you... Yes I do. I do a little at least... You're a good soul, you have to be. Either that or your so head over heels in love with this mare that you would do something as drastic as that... By the way, she's all right! She's just fine, she's worried about you. But you'll be alright. Anyone strong enough to keep something like that Mara creature in check--" With that Blue's eyes opened wide and sat bolt upright in bed. "SNAKE EYES!" "I know you," the Judge said incredulously. "Yes you do," the Doctor smiled. "And that's why you're shaking." "Hardly," the Judge scoffed. "I am merely irritated at the destruction of my lovely peaceful day. It was going to be a simple hearing, at the end of which I was going to give a simple and clear verdict. Now of course, you've arrived to re-testify, and you have put things quite out of order..." "I will give no testimony," the Doctor was getting rather serious now. "There will be no hearing. By what authority do you have the right to imprison these people?" "Our own,"the Judge said frankly. "The prisoner has committed crimes against us. It shall be punished." "Hundreds of people," the Doctor shouted. "Thousands! Suffering in a never ending nightmare! What sort of crime could all of these people have done to warrant such a punishment?!" "I don't know what you're talking about," the Judge scoffed. "The prisoner's hearing is in few moments. When it's held, you may give your testimony on his actions." "Screw the hearing!" Vinyl shouted. "I don't know why you guys are focusing so much on this one dude, but there are thousands of people here! One of them is a friend of mine! I don't know how Blade managed to get out of it, but others are suffering! This has to stop!!" Then something clicked in the Doctor's brain. It was the combination of Blade and Vinyl's words that at lat put everything together. The Doctor relaxed a little. Things were less urgent. Much more frightening, but less urgent. "Warden," the Doctor smiled. "I have three questions. Firstly, how many Ephemeral wards like the one we just left are on this ship?" The Warden looked nervous. "Two...," he said. "But the second--" "Has them emitting a stream of constant positive energy," the Doctor smiled. "A fools Paradise... Second question now... Have the Ephemerals aboard this ship committed any sort of crime or offense against you, your people, or indeed at all?" The Warden seemed perplexed by the question. "Crimes? Doctor I don-" "I shall take that as a no," the Doctor was getting very quiet now, and very very cross. "Last question. How many prisoners are currently held within this facility." The Warden looked at the Doctor a if concerned for his well-being. "We have only the one." And there it was. It all made sense now. It all came together. Blue... Blade... Why the Doctor met Blue in the state that he did. All of it. He got a preview of the end of the story. This was the beginning. "I don't understand," Vinyl said. "If there's only one prisoner, what about--" "Oh Vinyl, don't be silly!" the Doctor said, with a bit of forced pleasantry. "Remember, to these... sickeningly smug creatures... The only life that counts as life is immortal life! They wouldn't waste resources holding Ephemeral beings. Punishing them for crimes! It would be like imprisoning a deck chair. No, no, no... They're rations." "What?" Vinyl asked. "What are you-" "We weren't in the prison," the Doctor explained. "We haven't seen the prison. We saw many sentient beings being held in captivity and our minds filled in the blanks... No... We were in the commissary... A great big banquet of suffering and misery to feed the one and only prisoner." "Of course," the Barrister said. "My client requires the negative energy of Ephemerals. He has not been sentenced to death." "No he hasn't," the Doctor's vernier was starting to crack. As polite as he was being he was obviously very, very angry. "The other ward. The ward filled with people trapped in a euphoric dream state... That's to keep the prisoner contained isn't it? Chains made of false pleasure... Giving them a perfect dream to compensate for you wasting their lives... For how long has this been going on? How many people have wted away in their beds as you changed them out like light bulbs? How can you be so impossibly smug? How can you waste your powers, my time, and these peoples lives and still consider any squinting insignificant insect to be a lesser being than you!?" He was an inch from the Crown prosecutors face now. He could feel the Murder in his eyes. "And more importantly," the Doctor said quietly. "Why did Vinyl Scratch have to be the one to ask all of those questions..." The Doctor turned and looked at Blade Runner. "I'm sorry?" "Ms. Runner?" the Doctor asked politely. "Will you please roll up your left sleeve?" Blue was darting around the cell, pacing back and forth, mumbling words that were making Octavia very nervous. "Snake Eyes," he mumbled. "Riverboat... Canterlot... Upper Crust... Snake Eyes... I still remember... Galilee... What is Galilee!?" "I don't understand," Octavia said, now thoroughly bewildered. "I don't know who you are," Blue was looking right at her. "But we have to leave. We have to leave right now!" "But Blade..." Octavia said shakily. "She's with some friends of mine..." "You don't understand," Blue said. "That's not Blade!" Vinyl gazed at the mark on Blade's foreleg. "No..." She shook her head. "It can't..." "It is," the Doctor smiled. "Don't worry, I don't think it's actually here... My guess is it escaped some time ago..." "Less time than you think!" Blade said happily, now with a hissing undertone in her voice. "Only been about a year... A young mare who had a meet up with her bae interrupted... Especially considering what that night may have meant. She made te perfect vessel for her. What's getting me is how you know her... She doesn't know you... "Doctor, have we been meeting out of order?" asked the Mara. Author's Note Who saw that coming, huh? Everyone, nimrod. It's on the cover. Shut up, you. Please rate and comment!
