Now that I've had time to process things with Doctor, notably Jo Martin's incarnation of the Time Lord, I personally believe that the Doctor is now in an alternative universe to the rest of the show's previous chronology. There are reasons for this but I won't go into them now. But a few nights ago, I was watching Rick and Morty and something happened in it that made me think about something. Not an official theory, nor is it 'canon', but here's a possibility that I think could be plausible.
Here goes.
Here goes.
*********
"I'm not sure I understand what's happened here..."
The Physician sighed and put his hands together.
"Due to Gallifrey's exposure to the time vortex, and indeed Time Lord physiology, there are very rare instances where children can...well...for lack of a better word...repeat".
The young couple look confused. They look over once again at their two children. One is a young boy, the other is a young girl. They are small, swaddled in cloths and towels, and are moving together. In complete unison. The young man looks once more at the physician.
"Define repeat".
"In Time Lord society, twins are not uncommon. Twins occur on lots of different worlds. Earth being a famous example. Natural Twinning used to occur on Sontar, Skaro, Obaletska, Chronion and many others. But this form of twinning is unique only to Gallifrey. One may be male, one may be female. But rest assured, they are exactly the same person. In Time Lord medicine, we call it 'Acute Shadow Divergency'. Somewhere during your gestation, Lady Lungbarrow, the temporal element which allows a youngling to obtain their regenerative capabilities became corrupted. You conceived one child. But one ended up a shadow of the other".
Lord Lungbarrow, the father, looks even more confused.
"We were not warned of this when we found out we were expecting".
"It's a rare phenomenon, Lord Lungbarrow. We learn about it at the Academy of Medicine as a cautionary tale. But there hasn't been a case of this, to my knowledge, since the time of The Imperator".
The Lungbarrows look at each other in horror.
"Will they be like him?"
Lady Lungbarrow look terrified as she awaited the answer to her question. The Physician shakes his head.
"I have no reason to believe that's likely. But one never knows. We cannot see the future".
Lord Lungbarrow shakes his head.
"So, what happens now? Do we keep them both?"
The Physician shakes his head.
"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that".
Lady Lungbarrow stands up in protest.
"I beg your pardon!?"
"I cannot allow you to take both of them home".
"And why not!?"
"Because, Lady Lungbarrow, your two children are two forms of the same. To keep them together would be a paradox. Two versions of the same fighting for supremacy. They might be best friends or bitter enemies. But if they stay together, they will be the same entity vying for the same space. On a planet like ours, the results of that could be catastrophic. Cataclysmic, in fact!"
Lord Lungbarrow sighs.
"Then what is to be done?"
"Shadow Divergencies can co-exist in the same universe, the same planet, the same time. But they need to be kept apart as far away as possible.The further the better. I'm afraid you will have to let one go".
"Will they remember each other?"
"Over time, no. They'll retain similar memories and they'll retain similar core principles and interests. But the further apart they are, and the more different experiences they have, the less of an impact the divergency will have. They will be forced to forget to they become more different over time".
Lady Lungbarrow, who looks over at her children, sheds a small tear. She turns around once more.
"Will they ever meet?"
"I don't know. If they meet as adults, after centuries of being apart, they could meet and there'd be no issue at all. I'm sorry, but they HAVE to be separated. And they CANNOT know of each other while they are young. Their meeting could rip Gallifrey apart. The fact they are a day old now is not an issue. But the risk increases by the day".
The Lungbarrows process what they've been told. Lord Lungbarrow rises from his chair and sighs.
"Which baby is the Shadow?"
The Physician thinks.
"From what I understand, the boy was the original pregnancy. We didn't register the girl until later".
Lord Lungbarrow, trying to regain decorum, walks over to Lady Lungbarrow, who is cooing over her children.
"We need to let her go..."
Lady Lungbarrow puts her hand over mouth and starts to cry.
"I can't. I can't...Our first children...I can't lose one..."
"We have to. You heard the Doctor. They're too dangerous together..."
Lady Lungbarrow takes a few moments before picking up the boy and passing him to Lord Lungbarrow. After he takes his son, she reaches down and picks up her daughter. Holding back more tears, she looks at her beautiful young girl.
"Now, you listen to me. I need you to do something for me. I need you to know that I don't want to let you go. But I know I must. I'm not letting you go out of hate, or neglect. I'm doing it because...I have to. So please, my little girl, please remember these words if nothing else..."
She thinks for a moment.
"...Never be cruel. Never be cowardly. Never give up, and never give in. Hate is foolish, love is always wise. Always be nice and NEVER fail to be kind. Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind. Be everything, my love..."
Crying, she hands her daughter to the Physician.
"I promise, Lady Lungbarrow, she'll be well cared for..."
Lady Lungbarrow leaves the room. Lord Lungbarrow nods at the Physician before leaving the room also. The Physician looks at the little girl in his arms. She's crying. The Physician smiles.
"I promise you, I'll see you're looked after. I'll see if we have space in our home for you..."
