Darkness meets Chaos
The rain was cold and felt like needles as it pelted Lock. He drew his cloak tighter around himself trying to stay warm but it had no effect. The rain was now running down every part of his body and he was beginning to get colder by the minute. Moments like these made walking down a lonely road to nowhere seem all the more repetitive. He thought about trying to push his darkness out a bit to see if it would help feel anything else than the coldness surrounding him. But he squashed that thought as soon as it came. But it lingered none the less. His darkness that was within him was still a mystery. He would always find it in dire needs and could bring it out to make himself almost invincible.
But it always came at a cost.
A cost that he could easily lose himself to the Darkness and that the darkness would turn on anything. Even those whom he fought to protect.
Lock shook his head to clear his thoughts and to shake the rain soaking his hood and mane. He needed to get out of this rain and find shelter. He started to run in hopes of finding anything. But out in the middle of an open field, the possibilities seemed slim. Then he ran into a miracle…Literally. Lock ran a hoof over his sore nose as he stumbled back and looked up at what he had just run into. It was a blue box out the middle of the road. Lock gave the box a look-over. It appeared to be a simple blue wooden box with weird looking symbols on the top. It had a door with tiny windows on it. Wanting to get out of the pouring rain, Lock grabbed the door-knob, swung it open and leapt inside.
What he found inside was the last thing he expected. It was way bigger on the inside. There was a strange machine in the middle of a large room with paths branching off in different directions with doors all over the place that had to be carefully noticed.
Sitting in the middle of the room was a grey Pegasus. He had a black bow-tie and had bangs under his eyes. His mane was black and rugged. He wore a sour expression as he took a swig of something brown in a jar. It smelled like alcohol. The Pegasus glanced up at Lock, “Hey shut the door you’re letting out all the warm air.”
Lock was frozen in awe but was quickly snapped out of it by the Pegasus’ demeanor. He turned and shut it with an unintentional slam. The Pegasus gave Lock a passive look.
“Welcome to the TARDIS, I am the Doctor and blah, blah, blah…” The Doctor sighed and took another swig of the jar. Lock went over to a seat near him and sat down. The Doctor glanced over at where he was sitting. He took one final gulp from the jar and then threw it over his shoulder. “You know I used to be a time traveler with a companion and such, until she took an arrow of betrayal and plunged it into my heart.” He gave a small laugh. Lock lifted his hood off as he gave the Doctor look of pity and disgust. The Doctor caught his look, “Hey, I don’t need your pity. I like living alone in this box. It has a pool and lots of things to do. Who needs anypony else when I am perfectly happy just that way I am.”
Lock closed his eyes for a moment. The Darkness that was radiating on this pony was unbelievable, yet it wasn’t an evil aura. It was just Darkness. But it was more. It was also self pity, remorse, cowardness, but mostly a sense of all hope was lost.
Lock glanced across the room. A pile of broken jars had formed in the back of it. Lock was just starting to wonder how the Doctor was not getting affected by the alcohol but he decided to try and get some information from him instead.
“Hey, my name is Lock. Care to explain how any of this I am seeing is possible?” He looked round him before returning his gaze toward the Doctor who at this point had gotten up and was looking around for another jar. He shook his head while he searched. “I more curious about that darkness burning inside you.” He glanced over at Lock whose face had a look of shock and surprise and a bit of curiosity rolled into one.
The Doctor continued, “Oh, don’t act so surprised, I can practically smell it off of you. How does one even try to live one knowing they are a ticking time bomb? How does it feel to know that you have the power to make your life turn upside down at any moment? You and I are not so different. That is why I am here. I don’t have to worry about people like you. So go on, destroy a city, cause chaos if you will. I sure don’t give a damn.”The Doctor snorted and smirked at Lock. Lock's face twitched as he glared back at the Doctor. He felt his anger rise but he fought it back down as he also felt more. He felt something within the Doctor. It was faint but there was something there. Lock knew he needed to find some way to bring it out or risk losing it right here. Then the Doctor did something unexpected, he got up and started to mess around with the strange machine.
“I’m tired; I am heading back to my own dimension. Unless you want to come I suggest you get off.” Lock glanced over at the device as it started to glow and noises could be heard in all directions. “I’m staying.” The Doctor ruffled his feathers, “Suit yourself. Word of warning, my dimension is a lot darker than yours. Oh and keep that blade under you cloak close. I don’t want you stumbling around and messing something up or poking me with it.” The TARDIS began to shake drastically. So much so that Lock lost his footing and found himself slamming into the machine. A few buttons were pressed and the TARDIS lurched at an odd angle. “You STUPID… I warned you not to mess up anything!” The Doctor shoved Lock out of the way as he fiddled with the machine. Then everything stopped. The Doctor glanced back over at Lock giving him a menacing glare. “How dare you touch my TARDIS? No one touches her but ME!”
The Doctor flung himself at Lock full force, slamming both of them against the wall. The Doctor beat his hooves hard as he could into Lock. “How dare you come into my sanctuary and mess it up! This is why I don’t allow anyone in here anymore. I can’t be responsible for you or anyone else. I just want to be left alone! But no you had to walk in and ruin everything.” Lock could only hold up his hooves in protection as he continued to receive blow after blow from the enraged Doctor whose Darkness now radiated at an unbelievable amount. Also the smell of alcohol seemed to surrond him as well. Then he felt it, there was no stopping it. Between the blows he was receiving and the darkness radiating next to him, he felt his Darkness well up beyond breaking point. He could already feel himself slipping.
It was worst than before.
The Doctor stopped his pounding for a moment as he felt the air surrounding him change. He backed away from Lock as black aura seeped forth as it extended throughout his body. His cloak fell away as his body turned into a glowing purple and black. His eyes were white and no longer yellow. Lock was no longer there. And then the worst possible thing happened. There was a knock on the door. “Doctor is that you? It’s Twilight, what are you doing here?” The Doctor glanced at the door then back to Lock whose power seemed to be growing by the second. He could feel the Darkness but at the same time there was more. It was rage. Shit “Twilight whatever you do, don’t come in. For the sake of your safety, please don’t come in!” He was greeted with silence. He hoped that meant she had left. Instead the door began to open. The Doctor rushed over to close it, but Twilight help the door open just a crack. “Doctor, I don’t know what is going on but let me help you.” The Doctor felt the door beginning to push in his direction. “No, please. I am not sure I can protect you from this though!” He felt the door open more. Twilight's voice continued on the other side.
“I don’t need protection, I am here to protect you from whatever it is that’s attacking you. You showed me life is worth living. I now believe it is also worth saving.” With the last of her strength, Twilight shoved the door open. The Doctor tumbled onto his back. Twilight leaped into the room. She glanced over at the dark being. Twilight’s horn glowed as she got in front of the Doctor. The Doctor looked at Twilight in horror, “Twilight, no get out of here. I can’t afford to lose you!” Twilight turned to him and smiled, “And I can’t afford to lose you either.” The Doctor stared back in a look of surprise. Then all hell broke loose as Lock’s power shot forth. Pure black power surged throughout the room as wave after wave of power was unleashed. Twilight’s horn lit up even brighter as a purple round shield appeared over both of them.
Twilight cringed as each wave past over them. Lock cried out as the Darkness converged into a big sphere in front of him. It drew power from the aura around Lock. He cried out in pain as it sucked the energy from him. Then it shot forth aiming strait for the Doctor and Twilight. Twilight grunted as the ball of energy hit her shield. It continued its advance as Twilight kept pumping more magic into her shield. But her shield was starting to crack. The Doctor could only watch as Twilight continued to protect him. She was protecting HIM. SHE WAS PROTECTING HIM! Not the other way around. “Marshmallow that’s enough!”
But she continued to hold back the Darkness even as bits of it was starting to come through. Her horn was starting to lose its glow as well. The Doctor decided he had enough. He stood up and charged right in front of Twilight, facing her. He then leaned in and pressed the side of his face against her. “Thanks Twilight but I can take it from here.” He then lifted his hoof and jabbed her horn causing her to lose her connection with the shield. The shield gone the Dark ball continued forward and hit the Doctor in the back. Shetook a few steps back as she saw his color change to brown and eyes filled with compassion before the Dark ball enveloped him in a blaze of black fire. Then with a flash everything went black.
***
Lock awoke with a start. He knew he had lost control. Before it consumed him he had thought he had heard a mare’s voice. His suspicions were confirmed as he noticed a small lavender unicorn on the ground. He rushed to her side hoping that she was still alive. He bent down and was glad hear a heart still beating within her. Then gently tried to nudge her awake. After a few seconds a groan reached the lips of the slowly becoming conscious mare. She stared up at Lock. “Who are you and what happened to that dark creature?” Twilight looked around the room expecting to see it but didn’t.
Lock’s face fell as he felt a wave of shame hit him like a ton of bricks. Yet again he had let the Darkness get the best of him. “The dark creature is gone; the Doctor took care of it.” Twilight’s eyes began to water. “It’s all my fault. I said I would protect him yet in the end…” Twilight tears flowed like a river as she curled up on the floor. Lock wanted to comfort her but he felt like a monster and didn’t know what to say. Twilight was soon surrounded by feelings of what she felt like when she was in her room after the Master had left. She felt like she was about die again. She felt her sadness for the loss of her friends. She felt all her emotions run wild with sadness. The Doctor was all she had left…
A hoof touched her back and stroked it. Looking up, she expected to see the black pony but instead the hoof that was rubbing her back was brown. She turned her head around and was met with two blue eyes, “Doctor?”
The Doctor smiled as they embraced each other. She could feel his sense of warmth against hers. Their lips met. But Twilight broke away with tears still falling from her eyes. The Doctor felt a tear roll down his as well. He took a deep breath before he spoke, “Marshmallow, I made you promise to never leave me. Now I feel I will have to do the same. No matter what happens, I will never leave you. I see now that in order to protect you, we have to protect each other.” As they embraced a second time, the Doctor shuddered and winced as his color shifted for a moment between grey and brown. “Listen, Twilight, I have to leave you again. Before…before you-know-what-happens, I need to get that other stallion home. I promise I will be back as soon as I can.”
Twilight felt her heart breaking but when she looked into the Doctors pleading look, she knew they didn’t have much time. “Alright, be safe Doctor. Remember, you are never alone.” With one last kiss she turned and walked out. The Doctor watched her go and didn’t move until he lost sight of her as she closed the door. He then quickly turned around and started fidgeting with the device. Lock griped the chair as the TARDIS came to life once more. He felt the room shift around until it came to a stop. The Doctor shuddered again. “Alright,” he was panting just a bit, “this is your stop.” He paused as thought for a moment then looked at Lock apologetically, “Sorry about earlier.” Lock Breaker nodded to the stallion as he walked to the door. He picked up his discarded cloak along the way and put it on. Just as he was about to reach up and push the door open he stopped and turned to the Doctor.
Lock glanced at him with a look of determination, “It’s alright. You may not have realized it but you just taught me something. Even when you are in the darkest abyss, even if the darkness has completely taken over you, you will always find your way back so long as there is a light to guide you. Twilight IS your light. Never forget that.” He smiled at the Doctor before he turned around. The Doctor felt a tear roll down his cheek as his brown coat started to fade.
Lock opened the door and stepped out of the blue box. He closed the door behind him. The TARDIS gave off some weird noises as it faded from existence. Lock stared at where the blue box had been before looking up realizing that the rain had stopped. Bits of sunlight where reaching though the dark clouds.
Lock closed his eyes as he took a deep breath before taking a step forward as his Journey began again.
Lock thought back to the Doctor and Twilight, their feelings and how they acted toward each other.
"Perhaps," he thought, “it is time I find my own bit of light as well.”
Author's Note
Part 2 of what I am now considering a series of seperate stories that combine into one big one that tells the story of Lock's journey as he set out at the end of The Road to Dawn. Expect for more parts in the future. Hope you enjoyed the story and don't forget to comment so that I can improve.
