Doctor Who Christmas Special: Who Are You?

Doctor Who: Who Are You?

Doctor Who: Series 11

Episode 13:

Who Are You?

Written by Zachary Denoyer

All rights belong to BBC Studios

Prologue

Some say the measure of someone is their ability to carry on no matter the struggles they face. Others say it's their ability for compassion in the face of truly ugly hate. It's that weight that draws a line for what someone can do in the midst of adversity.

For the Doctor, that adversity is a constant. A test for their compassion. But they've shown time and time again that their compassion is infinite for the lives across the Cosmos. What about their own though? Would they be able to extend that unbeatable kindness to themselves? Or will they falter?

Long ago on Gallifrey, at the Prydonian Academy, the Doctor learned the Legend of the six Guardians of Time and Space. Beings that embodied the very fundamental natures of the Universe. The Black Guardian: embodiment of Entropy and Chaos, the White Guardian: embodiment of Order and Structure, the Crystal Guardian: embodiment of Dream and Fantasy, the Red Guardian: embodiment of Justice and Truth, the Azure Guardian and its Beige twin: embodiments of Equilibrium and Balance, and the Gold Guardian: embodiment of Life and Death.

The Great Old Ones, beings told to be from a Universe before ours fascinated the Doctor and his classmates. So, long before the Doctor even knew what it meant to be himself, he set off to test the legend with friends in tow. But little did he know that it would be a mistake that would haunt him forever. One of his first in fact. The Doctor lost his friends that day. You see he found what he was looking for, but in doing so he created an ancient enemy, and set free the Crystal Guardian of Time.

The Crystal Guardian took the Doctor's friends, named himself the Celestial Toymaker, challenged him, and vowed that one day the Doctor would be a worthy opponent. After many battles, some in the past, and some even in the future, that day had come.

One Christmas Day, the Doctor met themselves at a low point in their lives. A low point that tested their very promise they made at the beginning of their adventure:

Being a Doctor.

Chapter 1

Snow swirled over the mountain that the Doctor looked out from. For a second the cold air he breathed in rested his burning soul. But it was as fleeting as the snowy wind blanketing him.

The Doctor struggled to remember why he chose to come here, then he remembered it was the TARDIS that brought him here to begin with. His constant companion in his long life, the TARDIS. He smiled a bit as he thought about all that the TARDIS had gotten him through. All the paradoxes, the conflicts, the adventures, and the Quantum Whirlwinds that he encountered. The TARDIS got him through it.

The peace was nice. It gave him an opportunity to ponder on his next move. Should I go back to her? the Doctor contemplated. Should I give it a chance? She did make me feel like me again.

But then the silence was broken. Footsteps echoed over the cliff, followed by the thwacking of sticks and stones. Someone was approaching the cliff side. Probably one of the inhabitants of the planet. The Doctor turned to see a man in a green patterned coat step out from the snowy forest. The man's huge wavy hair seemed to hide his distressed face a bit, he seemed surprised that the Doctor was here. "Blimey, thought I was the only one here," the Doctor said with his best inviting grin. He stepped forward. "Hello, I'm the Doctor."