Confessions of an Immortal Time Lord

Bad Moon (Part 6)

***

"Throw him into a dungeon! No, banish him! No, throw him into a dungeon in the place I've banished him to!" Princess Celestia roared, her voice firm, her figure majestic, her eyes radiating fury.

... Yeah, it could have been better, right? I still don't think I deserved it in the first place. But it seems that the Narrator's running ahead of his narraration (I will always make bad puns, just get used to it). I bet you are eager to know how that happened. In that case, you may want to refill your glass (17 on the control panel - whiskey, brandy, gin and wine available) and proceed to the next chapter. - Your benevolent Time Lord

***

As The Doctor trotted along the road paved with finest marble, he kept thinking about how everything happened to be so easy. The Element Bearers learned about the situation, he was going to get the Elements from Celestia... Moreover, the weather was fabulous. As the sun was setting to rest in its cosy bed beneath the mountains. all critters were hiding in their houses to get a good night's sleep. Some of them, however, only waited for the night to come: owls and night wolves roamed around the Equestria's pastures of green, not looking for prey but mostly just stretching their numb limbs, showing their fangs to each other as they chattered in languages still unfamiliar to other living beings.

At last, he reached the large stone bridge, which connected the road with a castle of exquisite design. Equestria's best architects did their best to build it all those years ago, and not in vain: their work still couldn't be outdone by anypony.

Approaching the castle gate, the brown pony had to stop in his tracks. The guards, he thought.

And right he was: right before him stood two pegasi in enchanted armor, which was shining even when the sun had set. Their calm but strict looks were to ignite fear in anypony who were bold enough to desire to enter the castle without at least a written permission from the Princess herself.

The Doctor, however, knew exactly what to do. He cheerfully trotted past the guards, his cutie mark shining all the way. As he entered the main hall and closed the door behind him, the hourglass returned to its usual dark-brown colour.

Time stop... He smiled to himself. You're a genius, my dear Time Lord, you know that?

With that, he decided to act straightaway. He needed to find Celestia's chamber, so he had to ask the way. Simple as it was, he couldn't find anypony nearby. After searching through wide halls and narrow corridors, he saw a pegasus guard on patrol near a door.

The Doctor came up to him. smiling broadly.

"Doctor Whooves. Personal invitation from Her Royal Highness," the brown pony said, holding a piece of paper in his hoof. "Where can I find her, by the way?"

The pegasus nodded and stood back, opening the door. (No one can resist The Charming And Disabling Time Lord's Smile [TM]! Well, maaaybe the hypnotic paper helped, too... - T.L.)

I thought a Princess' chamber would be bigger... The Time Lord thought but entered the room nevertheless.

There, on a large bed with silver cushions, lay the most beautiful, the most attractive and the most royal mare in all Equestria - Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia.

She was magically holding a scroll, frowning, smiling and taking notes as she read through it.

The Doctor froze in place, astonished by her splendour.

"Tia..." He managed to say at last.

The white alicorn raised her head. Her eyes widened, her lips trembled, saying the name she had almost forgotten but always remembered.

"Doctor..." She said, a tear crawling down her face, hiding in her shining mane that was always fluttering, even when the wind has expired.

"Tia..." The Doctor repeated. He gulped. "You've... matured a lot," he finished.

"And you're the same," she replied simply. Then, she rose from her seat, approaching The Doctor.

He met her halfway, giving her a slight peck on the cheek.

Celestia closed her eyes.

"I still remember that feeling..." She said dreamily. Then, she smiled. "We have much to discuss, Doctor."

The brown earth pony scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, about that, Tia... Do you still have the Elements of Harmony with you?" He asked.

The Princess raised her brow.

"But of course I do, darling, but don't we have more... urgent matters to discuss now?" She said with a sly yet very royal grin, poking the brown pony with a hoof.

"You see, Tia... Nightmare Moon is returning so..."

"...She can wait an hour," Celestia hugged The Doctor's neck with a hoof, bringing him closer to her.

The Time Lord resisted the urge to surrender and, without breaking the hug, spoke in a soft, soothing voice.

"Tia... You know this is an urgent matter. For now, just show me the Elements... And after Nightmare Moon's destroyed, I'm all yours..." He winked.

Celestia's reaction was unexpected. She staggered back, her eyes narrowing.

"You... A thousand years! I've been waiting for you for a thousand years and you still value Equestria's safety over our relationship!" She yelled.

"B-but Tia... Don't you do the same?" He asked. "You're a ruler, and you know that the safety of your nation is more important-"

"Shut your muzzle, Doctor!" Celestia was beginning to lose her composure. "You know the matter's not urgent. You could have at least kissed me! But no - a peck on the cheek is all I get after a millenia of waiting!" She shouted so loudly that one of the guards looked into the room to check whether Her Royal Highness was all right.

"Tia..." The Doctor whispered, his eyes becoming teary, as if he were slowly understanding his failure.

The alicorn turned her face towards the guard, gesturing to him to enter the room.

The pegasus entered, awaiting for orders.

The Princess, still not regaining her composure, stood erect, giving the order that made The Doctor hope it would all have been a dream.

"Throw him into a dungeon! No, banish him! No, throw him into a dungeon in the place I've banished him to!" Princess Celestia roared, her voice firm, her figure majestic, her eyes radiating fury.

The pegasus nodded, taking The Doctor by the hoof, dragging him.

"Oh, one more thing..." An evil grin appeared on Celestia's face. Her horn glowed and the cutie mark on The Doctor's flank disappeared.

"No!" The brown pony shouted. "You can't do this!"

"I control the magic in this world, honey," Celestia replied, vanishing from The Doctor's view as he was being dragged, not rising from the floor, not believing his senses.

***

Women... Why would I ever let my destiny's path cross with women? That unicorn, Twilight Sparkle... And that psycho alicorn... If only I knew how dangerous it would be to date her back then...

Such thoughts weren't adding any endorphines to The Doctor's brain. In fact, they were corrupting him even more now that he realised he still loved Celestia, in spite of her stubborness and changing temperament.

He looked around. The place was very dark, even for a dungeon. Her Royal Highness' order was carried out accurately: he was banished, locked in a dungeon in the place he had been banished to.

The Time Lord saw movement in the opposite corner of the cell. A figure that resembled an earth pony appeared to be sitting up in there, stretching its legs. The earth pony yawned, then looked at The Doctor.

"Oh, hi there! You're my first neighbour for five years. What's your name?" He asked.

The Doctor thought he had nothing to lose so he decided to answer straightaway.

"Name's The Doctor. You?"

The pony barked, which could hardly have been a mere laugh - it was more of a fervent coughing mixed with laughter.

"Green Barren, son. *cough* *cough* Doing time for murder. What about you?" He asked wearily.

"Well..." The Time Lord began. "I was dating Princess Celestia and left her alone for a thousand years," he answered honestly.

The other prisoner shook his head, falling asleep all of a sudden.

The Doctor sighed.

Suddenly, the door opened and a lavender unicorn galloped into the room, throwing herself in the brown stallion's embrace. However, The Doctors eyes were pinned to the white alicorn standing in the doorway. His eyes were pleading. Her gaze was accepting and forgiving.

"-And then I told the Princess how urgent the matter was and she decided to forgive you!" Twilight finished and slipped out of the hug, embarassed by her outburst.

Celestia surperssed a chuckle.

"Don't worry, Twilight. I'm not jealous," she said in a motherly tone.

The Doctor just sat there, dumbly looking at his hooves. He couldn't believe that was happening to him. Everything was so unexpected, so... unforeseen. Ever since he arrived in Equestria, he must have created a parallel universe that he still had to explore.

"Now what are you waiting for, Doctor? Let's get those Elements!"

Twilight's cry reached his ears and he managed to stand up. He couldn't help smiling when the lavender unicorn galloped away, passing the Princess with young vigour.

The Doctor approached Celestia with guilt written all over his face.

"Tia... I..." He started but was silenced with a passionate kiss from the alicorn.

When she broke the kiss, she smiled at him, shaking her head.

The Doctor's cutie mark appeared on his flank the same instant.

"You don't change, Doctor..." Then, a grin appeared on Celestia's face. "Allons-y!" She shouted before running off, leaving The Doctor in blissful lack of understanding. Instead of running, he slowly followed them, peacefully trotting in the direction of the castle.

***

And this is the end of my story. This is where my role ends and other roles begin. I played my part, and, may I say, did it well.

You must be joking me! Where's action? Where's the battle between Nightmare Moon and the Elements?! You may ask, looking at the book accusingly.

I can't tell you. I wasn't there. In fact, I spent that night with Celestia. And the following day as well. While the Elements were having their moments of doubt, pain and tears, the two of us were repolishing the old memories so they could shine. So we could cherish them forever. Never interfere, only contemplate. My motto worked well that time.

I left Celestia silently, while she was asleep. I didn't want to wake her for several reasons, the main one being how beautiful she was while sleeping. I didn't want to ruin that peace.

I didn't take Twilight with me. I knew she wanted to. That's why I avoided her. I hid from her. I concealed myself in the place she wouldn't search through, especially after the battle. The Everfree forest. The child of a powerful Time rift. The place where even Celestia and her now-returned sister were powerless.

There is something you could call an epilogue, however... My confession. My first serious confession. The example of how I have to do awful things to keep the Universe going in the right direction. My victimless crime. My guiltless crime. My mandatory crime.

Go on, Narrator. Tell them.

***

The night had fallen over Equestria. The Everfree forest stood majestic and primeval. It was dark and scary for all living beings, especially at night.

Silence endured in it - some kind of magical silence, like the forest itself repressed every sound that could reach it.

The brown earth pony slowly wandered through the ugly conglomerations of trees, which to him seemed beautiful in the melancholic moonlight.

Somepony coughed behind him.

He didn't turn round.

Somepony coughed again.

"Hello, Nightmare," the brown pony said, not changing his position in the slightest.

"Hello, Time Lord," it replied coldly.

"What are you up to now?" The Doctor asked in the same tone.

"I need to eat, Time Lord. I need to survive. I will bide, and then strike again," it said.

"Only to be defeated again, Nightmare. How pathetic." The Doctor's tone was plain, neither angry nor mocking.

"And what do you propose, Doctor?" Nightmare's tone was mocking, on the other hoof. "I am a living being and, according to the Shadow proclamation, I have the right to live. I need eternal night, Doctor. I need to drain their magic to survive." It pleaded, but its voice was still full of hatred.

"You won't touch those ponies. They don't deserve such cruelty. Twilight doesn't. Her friends don't. And Tia..." Now The Doctor was talking more to himself than to the Nightmare.

"Heh, and you call yourself a doctor... Instead of tending to patients, you kill the weak to fulfil your own ambitions. Your 'loved ones'..." It hissed.

"Don't try to talk about things you don't understand, Nightmare." The Time Lord cut her short. He hesitated a bit before carrying on: "However, you are right, in a way. I tend to all of those in need of help. That's a principle. That's why I have a plan."

He finally turned around, only to see a small dark cloud hovering above the ground.

"You will bring forth your eternal night when Celestia dies. Then you will eat. And you will survive. As well as her," he said firmly, yet hesitantly.

"And how do you think it will be worked out? I won't survive another millenia without food, Time Lord." There was much doubt in Nightmare's voice but a glitter of hope shone in it.

The Doctor sighed.

"You already know it, Nightmare," he said. "I'm a Time Lord. I control Time. I will send you to the same day the Princesses pass away. And I will not interfere in your actions. You will bring your eternal night forth. You will eat. And you will survive."

"Sacrificing the lives of countless ponies of the future to save the lives of your loved ones? You are becoming soft, Time Lord," Nightmare said almost empathically.

"Are you ready for it?" The Doctor simply asked, not used to long farewells.

"Any time, Time Lord."

With that, the hourglass on the Doctor's flank glowed and Nightmare disappeared, as if it had never been at that place.

The Doctor sighed once more and trotted deep into the Everfree forest, his lonely figure disappearing in the night.

***

Next on the Confessions!

A new story arc - The Traitor!

~~~

"What do you two find in that white shadow of a pony? Ha! He's a colt, not even a mature stallion!"

~~~

"Who are you?"

"I'm The Doctor. And I am here to help you."

***

Author's note.

And that concludes 'Bad Moon'. I hope you enjoyed it! The next story arc will most likely be a Sad/Slightly Dark one, about war and how it affects one's character and worldview. However, the yet next story arc is still oblivious to me. It will probably be a Comedy/Romance one, with Big Mac and Fluttershy (and The Doctor, of course!); or a Sad/Friendshipping one with The Doctor and banished Luna; or a philosophical one with The Doctor and Discord.

I ask you - no, I beg you! Everypony (and especially those who are tracking my story), give me some advice on that topic. Which one shall I choose? Other comments, criticism and ratings are very appreciated, as usual.

Peace.