Work Text:
*Cruch*
*BOOM!*
*Crunch, Crunch, Slip!, Crunch*
The Doctor was struggling to walk, and he was struggling to keep holding Eunice up in his arms, he swore that he could protect Eunice, take her to places she never dreamed of seeing, fight the good fight against gross injustice, but, in their brief time travelling through realm after realm, he never could’ve expected to land in the Letale Realm, funny… Letale is a Latin word for Poison; how he overlooked that was his undoing.
He grunted as he slightly tripped, nearly falling over again, but he paid more attention to one thing, and one thing only: the TARDIS. He must get Eunice out of here and get back to Ninjago.
It all started when he and Eunice landed in Letale, only to visit the realm before the Great Drug Wars. Unfortunately, in the Doctor’s fashion, he HIGHLY miscalculated, and now they’re being poisoned by the literal air of the realm, dosed with a lethal dose of Jackalstein’s poison. Thankfully, Dr. Jackalstein created a cure, an antidote, but he only made one before his brother killed him, one enough to heal Eunice.
An explosion interrupted his thought process. That explosion was close, very close. He readjusted and pushed forward as quickly as possible, but something else caught his eye, something pink on Eunice. He had then realized that these pink spots were scales. Eunice was growing scales.
The Doctor had a sudden realization of what the “poison” is, in fact, he has seen this type of gas before in the battelfield, this poison was mixed with Fangpyre’s toxins, this poison was meant to be used against the rebels, turning them into Serpentines and losing all memories of their previous life, turning into gas, bad for Humans, but possibly deadly for Timelords, or it could change them like it does for the Humans, as the Doctor comes to find out.
He made it to the TARDIS, falling to the ground. He struggled to retrieve his key from his jacket, unlocked the door, and pushed himself and Eunice into the TARDIS.
Inside, the Doctor quickly put Eunice on the floor and set the coordinates back to the Ninjago Realm. The Doctor turns to see Eunice on the floor.
“Eunice? Eunice, can you hear me?” The Doctor asks, as he puts Eunice’s head on his lap, and the Doctor takes out the antidote that he had taken from Dr. Jackalstein, “Open your mouth, drink this.”
The Doctor held up Eunice and laid her down on his lap. He poured the liquid into Eunice’s mouth.
“Drink this, Eunice, it is of an utmost importance that you… Drink this,” the Doctor weakly said to Eunice.
The Doctor dropped the now-empty bottle to the floor and fell to the ground, groaning in pain. As the Doctor begins to lose consciousness, the antidote begins its work almost immediately, and Eunice begins to wake up.
She sat up from her recovery, free of scales, and looked over to the Doctor, shocked, she said, “Doctor! What’s happened to you?!” She cradles the Doctor’s head on her lap.
“I see that Doctor Jackalstein’s antidote has worked; that’s good.” The Doctor said weakly.
“Where is it?!” Eunice panickedly asked. “Where’s what?” the Doctor asked back.
“Dr. Jackalstein’s antidote!” Eunice replied, ‘Her optimism is courageous, but fruitless.’ The Doctor thought to himself, and he soon felt something he was familiar with - something he had gone through four times previously, ‘It’s time, I’m regenerating.’
“No more, gone. Only enough for you.” The Doctor flatly replied, “NO! Please don’t go! Please don’t leave me again!” Eunice cried out.
“I might regenerate this time, I don’t know…” The Doctor tries to calm Eunice down as he begins to fall into unconsciousness, “Feels different this time…”
In the Doctor’s dying mind, he was mentally ready for his fifth regeneration when he heard a voice he hadn’t heard in a while.
“What was it you always tell me, Doctor, ‘Brave Heart’? You’ll survive this, Doctor.” Tegan Jovanka said in her usual bluntness, that of an Australian.
“You need to survive, Doctor,” another voice chimes in, a form of Vislor Turlough said, “Many of your enemies will be delighted in your death.”
“Turlough speaks the truth, Doctor, stay strong!” Pixel agreed with Turlough.
“Doctor, Doctor, the world needs you, you mustn’t die, Doctor.” Nyssa of Traken pleaded, “Too many enemies will be delighted, happy even.” Turlough cuts in.
“You know that would happen, Doctor.” No… that voice… a voice he’d never thought to hear again, “You know that.” Adric, in his usual blunt teenage voice, the Doctor really misses hearing.
“You mustn’t die, Doctor.” Nyssa repeated.
“Adric?” The Doctor asked, his hearts still aches, his failures for Adric still weighed heavily, even after years.
“Doctor? Doctor! Ssstay with me! You mussst ssstay alive!” a raspy voice of a Venomari, Jay Walker pleaded, “Don’t give up! Don’t give them the sssatisssfaction!”
“You mustn’t die, Doctor.” Nyssa repeated once more.
“No, now my dear Doctor, you must die! Die, Doctor! DIE, DOCTOR! HAHHHAAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA!” The Master, encouraging the Doctor’s death, laughed in delight.
The images of his companions and his mortal enemy begin to circle him; most plead to stay alive, and the other plead for his demise. That familiar energy begins to engulf him, and he can feel the change, he felt a… tail(?) forming in his pants.
He’s becoming…
He’s becomin….
He’s becomi-
The New Doctor shot up, he looked at his hands, it was… blue, with sharp nails, it’s as if he-
“Doctor?” A voice broke his concentration; he looked to his side and saw Eunice, sitting in bewilderment, shocked, or maybe a hint of fear?
The Doctor turned back, a raspy voice came out, “Are you expecting sssomeone elssse?”
That question caught Eunice off guard, began to crawl forward, “I-I-I-I-I-I-” she stutters.
“Sssix I’sss in one breath, makesss you sssound a little egotissstical, young lady?” The Doctor cut Eunice off.
“Wh-what’s happened?” Eunice asked, after a moment of silence.
“Change, my dear, an overdue, much-needed improvement!” The Doctor exclaimed as he continued to observe his new self. He regenerated, and at last, he did!