The Rings of Akhaten
Autumn 1981...
A brisk breeze plays havoc with a young man's map as he walks down a street. The Doctor is hiding behind the Beano Summer Special 1981, while Jared is hiding behind an Indiana Jones:Raiders of the Lost Ark magazine and listening to the the Specials 'Ghost Town' to setting the musical scene. Suddenly a dead leaf flies into the young man's face, and he staggers in surprise into the path of an oncoming car. Then an arm pulls him to safety.
"Oh, my stars. Are you all right?" Ellie asked.
"Yeah." Dave said.
The music Jared is listening to on Spotify on his iPhone changes to smoochy love theme. Later - the young couple are at a front door in the rain.
"So, I've got something for you." Dave said.
"What?" Ellie asked, looking down at the dead leaf. "You kept it?"
"Of course I kept it."
"Why?"
"Because this exact leaf had to grow in that exact way in that exact place so that precise wind could tear it from that precise branch and make it fly into this exact face at that exact moment. And if just one of those tiny little things had never happened, I'd never have met you. Which makes this the most important leaf in human history."
Jared his face as the Oswalds kiss. Time passes. The happy couple are blessed with a little bundle of joy, who enjoys looking at a book called 101 Places To See.
Playground…
"Give it a kick." Dave said.
The little girl kicks a football which hits the Doctor in the face. He adopts a defensive martial arts posture.
"Oh, my stars! Are you all right?" Ellie asked.
"Fine. Marvellous. Refulgent. Possibly a bit embarrassed. That's not dangerous, is it?" The Doctor asked.
"What's not?"
"Embarrassment."
"Not usually. Not to my knowledge."
"Good. Hey. Phew."
"Mate, I'm so sorry. She wants to be Bryan Robson." Dave said.
"A famous footballer? It's fine. It was my friend's fault for not paying attention." Jared said, running up to Clara. "What's her name?"
"Clara." Ellie said.
"Clara. Means clear or bright in Latin. Helo, Clara." Jared said, looking down at Clara.
Cemetery…
A tear drops onto the other page of 101 Places To See, where it says Property Of Ellie Ravenwood, aged 11. Clara and Dave Oswald are gazing at the new headstone of Ellie Oswald, beloved wife and mother, born 11th September 1960, died 5th March 2005. The Doctor and Jared leave them to it.
Tardis…
"She's just a girl. How can she be?" The Doctor asked, while the scanner pops up Clara's ID from the Spaceship Alaska. "She can't be. She is. She can't be. She's not possible."
Jared has decided on calling Sakura Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji as he hasn't seen them in a while. He wanted to pick those two up after the whole Sakura card arc. And when Syaoran went back to Hong Kong. Jared can also see himself and Clara getting along with Sakura and Tomoyo easily. Clara is sitting on the stairs holding her favourite book, when the Tardis materialises outside. The doorbell rings.
"So we're moving through actual time? So what's it made of, time? I mean, if you can just rotor through it, it's got to be made of stuff, like jam's made of strawberries. So what's it made of?" Clara asked.
"Not strawberries. Nope. That would be unacceptable." Jared said.
"And we can go anywhere?"
"Unless we have to. We could always stay on Earth."
"So, we could go backwards in time." Clara said.
"Yup. That's where I picked up Sakura and Tomoyo. They're from the 90s." Jared said, leaning against the TARDIS console.
"The TARDIS can also travel through space." Tomoyo said.
"And forwards in time." Clara said.
"Like Tomoyo said, she can travel through space. So, where do you want to go, Clara? What do you want to see?" Jared asked. "The Doctor can bring you anywhere you want."
"I don't know. You know when someone asks you what's your favourite book and straight away you forget every single book that you've ever read?"
"Not really." Sakura said, sadly.
"Well, that's a thing that happens." Clara said.
"Can you get back to the question?" Tomoyo asked.
"Okay. So. So. So. So I'd like to see. I would like to see. What I would like to see is, something awesome." Clara said.
(Jared's POV)
Asteroid…
The Doctor guides Clara out of the Tardis with her eyes closed. Sakura, Tomoyo, and I are standing behind them.
"So, is this like how things turned out for Sakura?" Tomoyo asked, looking at me.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Welcome to the Rings of Akhaten." The Doctor said.
We are standing on a small ledge overlooking an asteroid belt circling a massive star.
"Hoe…" Sakura said, in awe of the view.
"It's." Clara said.
"Nothing." Tomoyo said, sadly.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Wait, wait, wait." The Doctor said, consulting his wrist watch. "In about five, four, three, two…"
The asteroids move on to reveal a golden pyramid glinting on a rock closer to the sun.
"What is it?" Clara asked.
"The Pyramid of the Rings of Akhaten. It's a holy site for the Sun Singers of Akhat." The Doctor said.
"The who of what?"
"Seven worlds orbiting the same star. All of them sharing a belief that life in the universe originated here, on that planet."
"Clara is in love with you and the Doctor." Tomoyo said.
"So?" I asked.
"What if she ends up with the Doctor?"
"Her and the Doctor? Unlikely."
"Wouldn't that mean that she could end up with you or someone else?"
Bazaar…
With a wide range of alien species, although they are all upright bipeds.
"Sakura, did you know that your story is one of the famous ones around the world?" I asked, looking at the Cardcaptor herself.
"Really?" Sakura asked.
"It's still remembered today. There was this one HoloLive sketch that summed your relationship in a nutshell."
"What?" Tomoyo asked, holding her video camera to record Sakura.
The Doctor exchanges a greeting that concludes with a pelvic thrust to a nearby alien.
"That chap's a Terraberserker of the Kodion Belt. You don't see many of them around any more. Oh! That's an Ultramancer. Do you know, I forget how much I like it here. We should come here more often." The Doctor said.
"You've been here before?" Clara asked.
"Yes, yes, yes. I came here a long time ago with my granddaughter." The Doctor said, dashing off through the crowd.
"Come on, girls!" I said, looking between Sakura and Tomoyo. "Oh, and Sakura. You're welcome to use your cards here. We're not on Earth."
Sakura and Tomoyo then began following me through this huge crowd. We ran past Clara who was trying her best to catch up to us.
The Doctor has found a basket of blue glowing globes.
"Hoe…" Sakura said, looking down at the blue glowing globes. "What's that?"
"Exotic fruit of some description." The Doctor said, scanning the fruit. "Right. Non-toxic, non-hallucinogenic. High in free radicals and low in other stuff, I shouldn't wonder." Clara tries it. "No?"
"So, why is everyone here?" Tomoyo asked.
"They're here for the Festival of Offerings." I said, happily. "It takes place every thousand years or so. When the rings align. It's a big thing locally here. Like how your anime has an 20th anniversary artbook that came out on March 23rd, 2016."
"An anime artbook?" Tomoyo asked, her video camera still pointed at Sakura. "Whos' on the front cover."
"Sakura, of course. It's pretty to look at."
Clara encounters an alien with teeth, who snarls like a dog. The Tardis translation circuit is not working for Clara.
"Oh! Er, Doctor?" Clara asked, while the Doctor sounds like a Yorkshire terrier. "What's happening? Why is it angry?"
"This isn't an it, it's a she. Dor'een, meet Clara. Clara, meet Dor'een." The Doctor said.
"Doreen?" Clara asked.
"Loose translation. She sounds a bit grumpy but she's a total love actually, aren't you? Yes, you are. No, actually, she's just asking if we fancy renting a moped."
"So, how much does it cost?"
"Not money. Something valuable. Sentimental value. A photograph, love letter, something like that. That's what's used for currency here. Psychometry. Objects psychically imprinted with their history. The more treasured they are, the more value they hold." The Doctor said.
"Yeah, Tomoyo, you better not give up that eraser." I said, looking over at Tomoyo.
"Not planning to." Tomoyo said, sadly.
"That's horrible." Clara said, angrily.
"Better than using bits of paper." The Doctor said.
"You should pay." Sakura said.
"With what?" The Doctor asked.
"Doctor, you're a thousand years old. You must have something you care about." Clara said, while she turned around.
The Doctor takes out his sonic screwdriver then puts it back in his pocket and walks off with me. I grabbed Tomoyo's hand by mistake, dragging her with me, forgetting that she's Sakura's companion during their adventures.
"Doctor? Jared? Doctor? Jared?" Clara asked.
A young girl runs round the corner.
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked.
The girl runs on. Then two tall men arrive on the scene.
"Have you seen her?" Chorister asked.
"Who?" Clara asked.
"The Queen of Years."
"Who's that?" Sakura asked.
The men split up to search. Clara and Sakura follow the girl.
(Open POV)
Storeroom…
"Hello?" Clara asked.
Something bangs and make Sakura jump and cling onto Clara.
"Hoe…!" Sakura said, terrified.
Then the girl appears.
"Hey. Are you okay? Are you lost?" Clara asked.
The girl runs off. They find each other further on.
"Are you okay? What are you doing?" Sakura asked.
"Hiding." Merry said.
"Oh. Why?" Clara asked.
"You don't know me?"
"Sorry. Actually not."
"So why did the two of you follow me?" Merry asked.
"We want to help. You looked lost." Sakura said, grabbing Clara's hand.
"I don't believe you." Merry said.
"We've got no idea who you might be. I've never been here before. I've never been anywhere like here before. Sakura and I just saw a little girl who looked like she needed help." Clara said.
"Really?"
"Really really." Sakura said, happily.
"Can you both help me?"
"That's why we're still here."
"Because I need to hide." Merry said.
Black smoke materialises into three possible robots.
A voice whispers in the air, "Merry. Where are you, Merry?"
"I know the perfect box." Clara said.
Merry takes Clara's other free hand and the three dodge around the items in the storeroom.
"Merry, where are you? Merry. Merry." A voice said.
Bazaar…
Clara and Sakura hide Merry behind them as people pass by, then they go to the Tardis.
"What's this?" Merry asked.
"A space-shippy thing. Timey, spacey." Clara said.
"It's teeny." Merry said.
"You wait." Clara said, but the doors don't open for her. "Oh, come on."
"What's wrong?" Merry asked.
"Can you get in?" Sakura asked, looking at Clara.
"I don't know. I don't think it likes me. Sakura, it likes you, Jared, and Tomoyo. Come on, let me in." Clara said, while Merry runs around the back of the Tardis. "Hey. Hey, little girl."
"My name's Merry." Merry said.
Clara and Sakura sit with Merry round the back of the Tardis.
"What's happening? Is someone trying to hurt you?" Sakura asked.
"No. I'm just scared." Merry said.
"Of what?" Clara asked.
"Getting it wrong." Merry said.
"Okay. Can you pretend like we're totally space aliens and explain?"
"I'm Merry Gejelh."
"Um, we're not from here. Sorry." Sakura said, sadly.
"The Queen of Years? They chose me when I was a baby, the day the last Queen of Years died." Merry said.
"Okay." Clara said.
"I'm the vessel of our history. I know every chronicle, every poem, every legend, every song."
"Every single one? Hoe…" Sakura said, in awe.
"Blimey. I hated history." Clara said.
"And now I have to sing a song in front of everyone. A special song. I have to sing it to a god. And I'm really scared." Merry said.
"Everyone's scared when they're little. I used to be terrified of getting lost. Used to have nightmares about it. And then I got lost. Blackpool beach, Bank holiday Monday, about ten billion people. I was about six. My worst nightmare come true." Clara said.
"What happened?" Merry asked.
"Yeah. What happened?" Sakura asked, as curious as Merry.
"The world ended. My heart broke. And then my mum found me. We had fish and chips, and she drove me home and she tucked me up and she told me a story." Clara said. "My mum told me this while I was in bed. 'It doesn't matter where you are, in the jungle or the desert or on the moon. However lost you may feel, you'll never really be lost. Not really. Because I will always be here, and I will always come and find you. Every single time. Every single time.'"
"And you were never scared again?" Merry asked.
"Oh, I was scared lots of times, but never of being lost. So, this special song. What are you scared of, exactly?" Clara asked.
"Getting it wrong. Making Grandfather angry." Merry said.
"And do you think you'll get it wrong? Because I don't. I don't think you'll get it wrong. I think you, Merry Gejelh, will get it very, very right." Clara said.
"I think you'll do great." Sakura said.
Merry hugs Clara and Sakura. Then they go back into the bazaar and reunite Merry with the Chorister, who puts a lei around Merry's neck and gently leads her away. The Doctor, Jared, and Tomoyo appear at Clara and Sakura's elbow, the three of them eating three of the blue glowing fruits.
"Where have you been?" Jared asked.
"Exploring. Where are we going now?" Clara asked.
Pyramid…
The changing over of the chanters, so one man is always kneeling before the dais. On the dais is a sealed glass case containing a mummified being seated on a throne.
"Sleep, my precious, sleep. Lay down, my warrior. Rest now, my king." The chorister said.
(Jared's POV)
Amphitheatre…
Merry is lead out into a semicircular amphitheatre facing the pyramid asteroid. The tiered seating is full behind her as she steps up onto a small pedestal. The Doctor, Clara, Sakura, Tomoyo, and I run in.
"Shush, shush. Sorry. Sorry. Excuse me. Sorry. Excuse me." The Doctor said.
"Sorry, sorry." Clara said.
We find a space to sit.
"I love this." I said, smiling.
"How come?" Sakura asked.
"Is it due to the atmosphere?" Tomoyo asked.
"Not just that. It's the music too." I said, looking at Merry. "Tomoyo, your singing voice is perfect. But Merry's something else."
Merry looks around at Clara and Sakura, who smiles back, then starts to sing.
"Akhaten…" Merry said.
Pyramid…
"Lay down, my king…" Chorister said, while the door behind him slides up. He gets up and walks out. "Sleep now eternal. Sleep, my precious king. Lay down…"
Amphitheatre…
"O god of Akhaten…" Merry said.
The Doctor is reading a leaflet, "They're singing to the Mummy in the Temple. They call it the Old God. Sometimes Grandfather."
"O god of Akhaten." Merry said.
"What are they singing?" Clara asked.
"It's a beautiful song." Tomoyo said.
"Hoe…" Sakura said, in awe.
"I love it." I said, placing my hand on top of Clara's.
"The Long Song. A lullaby without end to feed the Old God. Keep him asleep. It's been going for millions of years, chorister handing over to chorister, generation after generation after generation." The Doctor said.
The congregation holds out their hands.
"What are they doing?" Clara asked.
"Those are offerings. Gifts of value. Mementoes to feed the Old God." The Doctor said.
The offerings dissolve into sparkles.
"O god of, O god of, O god of Akhaten." Merry said.
"Sleep, my precious king." Chorister said.
A whole chorus starts up amongst the congregation.
"Lay, lay down…" The Doctor said.
Something rumbles in the Pyramid. Both Merry and the Chorister stop singing.
Pyramid…
"Old God, protect us. Old God, protect us." Chorister said.
Amphitheatre…
An energy beam lifts Merry off her pedestal and transports her through the space to the Pyramid.
"Okay, what's happening? Is that supposed to happen?" Clara asked:
"Help!" Merry said, terrified.
"Is somebody going to do something? Excuse me, is somebody going to help her?" Clara asked.
Bazaar…
"Why are we walking away? We can't just walk away. This is my fault! It's not Sakura's! I talked her into doing this." Clara said.
"Listen. There's one thing you need to know about travelling with me. Well, one thing apart from the blue box and the two hearts. We don't walk away." The Doctor said.
The Doctor talks to Dor'een.
"Don't give away your eraser." I said, walking up to Tomoyo. "At any cost."
"Okay." Tomoyo said, sadly.
"I need something precious." The Doctor said, looking at Clara, Sakura, Tomoyo, and I.
"Well, Doctor, Jared, you must have something. All the places you've seen, there must be something." Clara said.
The sonic screwdriver.
"This. And I don't want to give it away, because it comes in handy." The Doctor said, looking down at his sonic screwdriver.
"You're a thousand years old and that's it? Your spanner?" Clara asked.
"Screwdriver."
Clara takes off one of her many rings.
"It's my mum's." Clara said, giving her ring to Dor'een.
Space…
The Doctor and Clara zoom off towards Merry in the space moped. I used my augmented reality fairy wings to fly off into the sky knowing that I have an unlimited power of flight, and I carried Sakura and Tomoyo with both of my free hands.
"Merry!" Clara said, worried.
But just as Merry and Clara's finger's touch, the ginger is dragged into the Pyramid and the door slams shut.
"Brakes! Brakes!" Clara said, while they crash land.
They crash land. I landed on the ground safely with Sakura and Tomoyo.
Outside the Pyramid…
"Tomoyo, your singing voice is much easier to access in my time period." I said, looking over at Tomoyo. "I listen to it sometimes on Spotify."
"What's Spotify?" Tomoyo asked.
"It's this music streaming service. I can access any song at any time on my smartphone."
"So the music from my anime is merged with Tomoyo's singing." Sakura said, her eyes widening. "Hoe…"
"Like that, do you Alice?" I asked.
"You know about that? My fascination with Alice in Wonderland."
The Doctor scans the entrance to the Pyramid, "Oh, that's interesting. A frequency modulated acoustic lock. The key changes ten million zillion squillion times a second."
"Can you open it?" Sakura asked, walking up to the door.
"Technically, no. In reality, also no, but still, let's give it a stab." The Doctor said.
Pyramid…
"Do not wake from slumber. Old God, never wake from slumber." Chorister said.
Outside the Pyramid…
"How can they just stand there and watch?" Clara asked.
"Because this is sacred ground. Like a shrine. One seen in Japanese and Spanish culture." I said, looking at Clara.
"And she's a child. Like me and Sakura." Tomoyo said, sadly.
"And he's a god. Well, he is to them, anyway." The Doctor said.
Pyramid…
Merry walks past the Chorister to look at the Mummy.
"Do not wake from slumber. Old God, do not wake from slumber. Rest your weary, holy head and cast our lives asunder. Do not wake from slumber." Chorister said.
"I don't know what to do next. What happens?" Merry asked.
The Mummy's eyes glow red. Merry screams.
Outside the Pyramid…
"Merry! Merry, hold on! We'll be there soon. Doctor?" Clara asked.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh, hello." The Doctor said, looking down at his sonic screwdriver.
"Hello what?" Clara asked.
"The sonic's locked on to the acoustic tumblers."
"What does that mean?" Tomoyo asked.
"It means that the Doctor is able to do something amazing." I said, happily.
(Open POV)
Pyramid…
The door rises. The Doctor seems to be pushing it via the sonic screwdriver. He stands underneath it to hold it open.
"Hello there. I'm the Doctor, this is Tomoyo and Jared, and you've met Clara and Sakura. Clara was supposed to be having a nice day out. Still, it's early yet. Are you coming, then? Did I mention that the door is immensely heavy?" The Doctor asked.
"Leave. You'll wake him." Merry said.
"Really quite extraordinarily heavy." The Doctor said, while he is pushed to his knees. "Clara? Jared? Sakura? Tomoyo?"
Clara, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Jared enter the Pyramid.
"Old God, never wake from slumber." Chorister said.
"Jared, why did you bring us?" Tomoyo asked.
"It's because I trust both of you." Jared said, looking between Sakura and Tomoyo. "I've watched the original anime that has the both of you. And I'm watching through your latest adventures. Don't start dreaming."
"Dreaming?" Sakura asked.
"That's all I can say for now. Do you have the cards with you?"
"Um…"
"She left them in the TARDIS." Tomoyo said, looking at Jared.
"No Cardcaptor Sakura to save the day. Great…" Jared said, letting out a sigh. "Okay. So things will mostly remain the same."
Merry touches her temples and purple energy sticks Clara to the Mummy's glass box, with her back to the occupant, "He doesn't want you. He wants me. If you don't leave, he'll eat you all up too."
"Yes, and you don't want that, do you? You want us to walk out of this really quite astonishingly heavy door and never come back." The Doctor said.
"Yes." Merry said.
"I see. Right. Clara's right. Absolutely never going to happen." The Doctor said, and he rolls out from underneath the door, and just grabs his sonic screwdriver before the door slams down upon it.
"Did you just lock us in with the soul eating monster?" Clara asked.
"Yep." The Doctor said, happily.
"And is there actually a way to get out?"
"What? Before it eats our souls?" Jared asked.
"Ideally, yes." Clara said.
"Maybe. There is usually a way out while traveling with the Doctor."
"Doctor, Jared, why is he still singing?" Clara asked.
"Old God, rest your weary, holy head." The chorister said.
"He's trying to sing the Old God back to sleep, but that's not going to happen. He's waking up, mate. He's coming, ready or not. You want to run." The Doctor said, while the Chorister stops chanting. "That's it, then. Song's over."
"The song is over. My name is Chorister Rezh Baphix, and the Long Song ended with me."
The Chorister touches a button on a bracelet, and he disappears.
"That's it, then. Song's over." The Doctor said while the Mummy roars. "Ah ha! Look at that."
"You've woken him." Merry said.
"It's awake? What's it doing?" Clara asked.
"Oh, it's just stretching." Jared said, grabbing Sakura's hand.
Hammering on the glass trying to break out.
"No, we didn't wake him. And you didn't wake him, either. He's waking because it's his time to wake, and feed. On you, apparently. On your stories." The Doctor said.
"She didn't say stories. She said souls." Tomoyo said.
"Same thing. The soul's made of stories, not atoms. Everything that ever happened to us. People we love, people we lost. People we found again against all the odds. He threatens to wake, they offer him a pure soul. The soul of the Queen of Years." The Doctor said.
"Stop it. You're scaring her." Clara said, looking at the Doctor.
"Good. She should be scared. She's sacrificing herself. She should know what that means. Do you know what it means, Merry?" The Doctor asked.
"A god chose me." Merry said.
"It's not a god. It'll feed on your soul, but that doesn't make it a god. It is a vampire, and you don't need to give yourself to it. Hey, do you mind if I tell you a story? One you might not have heard. All the elements in your body were forged many, many millions of years ago, in the heart of a far away star that exploded and died. That explosion scattered those elements across the desolations of deep space. After so, so many millions of years, these elements came together to form new stars and new planets. And on and on it went. The elements came together and burst apart, forming shoes and ships and sealing wax, and cabbages and kings. Until eventually, they came together to make you. You are unique in the universe. There is only one Merry Gejelh. And there will never be another. Getting rid of that existence isn't a sacrifice. It is a waste." The Doctor said.
"Tomoyo, y'know, the TARDIS…" Jared said, looking over at Tomoyo.
"Has a sewing room with everything I need. I know." Tomoyo said.
"Do you know what's in the wardrobe?"
"All of the outfits I made for Sakura. Even the ones I haven't made yet."
"Remember the one that's on her bedside table?"
"Um, you, you know about it?" Sakura asked. "Hoe…"
Merry releases Clara. The Mummy has broken a hole in the glass.
"Having a nice stretch?" Clara asked, and the asteroid rumbles. "Something's coming."
"The Vigil." Merry said.
"Um, what's the Vigil?" Sakura asked.
"If the Queen of Years is unwilling to be feasted upon…"
"Um…"
"It's their job to feed her to Grandfather." Merry said, while a puff of black smoke, and the three robotic beings appear. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Don't you dare." Jared said, letting go of Sakura's hand to walk in front of Merry to protect her. "Don't you touch her."
"Yeah, stay back. I'm armed. With a screwdriver." The Doctor said.
The lead Vigil sends out an acoustic blast that knocks it out of the Doctor's hand, then another that sends him somersaulting backwards. Clara, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Jared are also thrown against the wall. The five of them are briefly knocked out. The Vigils lead Merry forward.
"Jared. Sonic." The Doctor said.
"On it." Jared said, getting the screwdriver and throws it to the Doctor.
The Doctor sets up a shield against the Vigil's weapon and Merry runs back to Clara.
"You know all the stories. You must know if there's another way out." Clara said.
"There's a tale. A secret song. The Thief of the Temple and the Nimmer's Door." Merry said.
"And the secret songs open the secret door? How does it go? Can you sing it?" Clara asked.
Merry sings a series of notes and a door slides up in the wall just beyond the Vigils and the Mummy.
"Go!" The Doctor said, angrily.
Clara, Merry, Jared, Sakura, and Tomoyo run outside. Clara looks back to see the sonic shield fail.
Outside the Pyramid…
"Doctor!" Clara said, worried.
The Mummy breaks free of its glass prison. An energy beam fires at the sun.
"Where are you? Where are you?" The voice asked.
The Vigils disappear.
"Where did they go?" Tomoyo asked.
"The Grandfather is awake. The Vigils aren't of any use now." Jared said, grabbing Sakura's hand.
"Well, you could sound happier about it." Clara said.
"Well, the Doctor made a bit of a boo-boo. He wasn't thinking straight. Semantics mix-up."
"What boo-boo?"
"I thought the Old God was Grandfather, but it wasn't. It was just Grandfather's alarm clock." The Doctor said.
"Um, I'm a bit lost. Who's the Old God? Is there an Old God?" Sakura asked.
"Unfortunately, yes." The Doctor said.
"Hoe…." Sakura said, looking at the sun.
The sun is getting rather active.
"Oh, my stars. What do we do?" Clara asked.
"Against that? I don't know. Do you know? I don't know. Any ideas?" The Doctor asked.
"But you promised. You promised!" Merry said, looking at the Doctor.
"I did. I did promise."
"He'll eat us all. He'll spread across the system, consuming the Seven Worlds. And when there's no more to eat, he'll embark on a new odyssey among the stars."
"Um, we should go." Jared said, looking between Sakura and Tomoyo.
"Go where, exactly?" The Doctor asked.
"I don't know. Tomoeda City?"
"Oh, Sakura's home is lovely. Let's definitely go there. We can eat cake and play video games with Kerberos."
"Ooo, can we also watch flicks of Cardcaptor Sakura in action?" Jared asked.
"You can watch her in the TARDIS…" Tomoyo said.
"Even so. Nothing can beat an old quality projector. Especially from a rich girl."
"Doctor, you're going to fight it, aren't you." Clara said.
"Regrettably, yes. I think I may be about to do that." The Doctor said.
"It's really big." Sakura said. "Bigger than my…"
"Big Sakura Card?" Tomoyo asked.
"Alice in Wonderland. Just saying." Jared said, happily.
"I've seen bigger." The Doctor said.
"Really?" Clara asked.
"Are you joking? It's massive."
"We're staying with you."
"No, you're not."
"Yes, we are. We can assist."
"No, you can't." The Doctor said.
"What about that stuff you said. We don't walk away." Clara said.
"No. We don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run. We run and run as fast as we can and we don't stop running until we are out from under the shadow. Now, all of you, off you pop. Take the moped. And Jared, fly back with Sakura and Tomoyo. I'll walk."
"Okay. Take this thing down however you see fit." Jared said.
The Doctor walks around to face the sun, which has the appearance of eyes and mouth.
"Any ideas? No, didn't think so. Righty-ho, then." The Doctor said.
Clara returns with Merry, Jared, Tomoyo, and Sakura to the amphitheatre to watch.
"Lordy." The Doctor said.
Amphitheatre…
"Sakura, Tomoyo, I don't know what to do…" Jared said, looking between Sakura and Tomoyo.
"Don't you have a plan?" Sakura asked.
"You always do." Tomoyo said.
"That was during the days of Team RWBY and the Ponds. I still want to help the Doctor." Jared said.
Merry gets onto her pedestal and starts singing, "Rest now, my warrior. Rest now."
Outside the Pyramid….
The Doctor can hear Merry's voice.
"Okay, then. That's what I'll do. I'll tell you a story." The Doctor said.
Amphitheatre...
The crowd and Tomoyo joins in with Merry.
"Please, wake up. And let the cloak of life cling to your bones." Everyone said, singing.
Outside the Pyramid…
"Can you hear them? All these people who've lived in terror of you and your judgement? All these people whose ancestors devoted themselves, sacrificed themselves, to you. Can you hear them singing? Oh, you like to thing you're a god. But you're not a god. You're just a parasite eaten out with jealousy and envy and longing for the lives of others. You feed on them. On the memory of love and loss and birth and death and joy and sorrow. So, come on, then. Take mine. Take my memories. But I hope you've got a big appetite, because I have lived a long life and I have seen a few things." The Doctor said, while energy tendrils reach out to him. "I walked away from the last Great Time War. I marked the passing of the Time Lords. I saw the birth of the universe and I watched as time ran out, moment by moment, until nothing remained. No time. No space. Just me. I walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a mad man. I've watched universes freeze and creations burn. I've seen things you wouldn't believe. I have lost things you will never understand. And I know things. Secrets that must never be told. Knowledge that must never be spoken. Knowledge that will make parasite gods blaze. So come on, then. Take it! Take it all, baby! Have it! You have it all!"
The face on the sun rolls in on itself and releases the Doctor.
Amphitheatre…
"Wake up. Wake up." Merry said.
The sun has a series of internal explosions as the Doctor falls to his knees.
"Clara, think of your mother." Jared said, walking up to Clara. "And the Doctor. What would they do?"
"My mother would comfort me after I'm lost and confused. And the Doctor...oh." Clara said, her eyes widening.
(Jared's POV)
Outside the Pyramid…
Clara zooms back to the Doctor on the moped. I am flying back to the Doctor using my augmented reality fairy wings. I told Sakura and Tomoyo to wait in the TARDIS, away from the danger present here. The face on the sun has returned.
"Still hungry?" Clara asked, opening 101 Places To See and takes out the leaf. "Well, I brought something for you. This. The most important leaf in human history. The most important leaf in human history."
The sun smiles.
"It's full of stories, full of history. And full of a future that never got lived. Days that should have been that never were. Passed on to me." Clara said, while an energy tendril reaches for the leaf. "This leaf isn't just the past, it's a whole future that never happened. There are billions and millions of unlived days for every day we live. An infinity. All the days that never came. And these are all my mum's."
"Well, come on then. Eat up. Are you full? I expect so, because there's quite a difference, isn't there, between what was and what should have been. There's an awful lot of one, but there's an infinity of the other." The Doctor said.
"That's the problem with infinity. All of the possibilities. What should have been or will come. No wonder I get visions of alternative timelines whenever I fight monsters with Pit and Palutena." I said, smiling.
The leaf turns into energy.
"And infinity's too much, even for your appetite." The Doctor said.
Tardis…
I had the Doctor drop Sakura and Tomoyo home, knowing that they had to get back to their own lives in 1990s Tomoeda City, Japan.
"Home sweet home, at the Maitland House, Clara Oswald." I said, leaning against the TARDIS console.
Clara opens the door, "It looks different."
"Nope. Same house, same city, same planet. Hey! Same day, actually. Not bad. Hole in one." The Doctor said, looking at the TARDIS console.
"You were there. The both of you. At mum's grave. You were watching. What were you two doing there?" Clara asked.
"I don't know. I was just making sure." I said, sadly.
"Of what?"
"You remind me of people."
"Who?" Clara asked.
"People who died." I said, thinking of Team RWBY, Penny, Jaune, and the Ponds.
"Well, whoever they were, I'm not them, okay? If you want me to travel with you and the Doctor, that's fine. But as me. I'm not a bargain basement stand-in for other people. I'm not going to compete with ghosts."
"No. You won't. You're my Impossible Girl."
The Doctor holds out the ring Clara gave to Dor'een, "They wanted you to have it."
"Who did?" Clara asked.
"Everyone. All the people you saved. You. No one else. Clara." The Doctor said.
Clara takes the ring and leaves the Tardis. The Doctor and I look very serious as I close the door with the snap of my fingers.
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