The Warrior collapses broken on the Tardis floor as his breath becomes more shallow. He wonders if the Moment waited until he returned to his home before executing him for his crimes, or he was dying and it mercifully gave him enough energy to pass on in the comfort of his own home, or perhaps he was already dead and as always was showing a flagrant disregard for the laws of nature.
Regardless the Warrior was dying. As this life was born from the war, it would only make sense it should die with the war. It would be one of the few things in his entire lifetime that had made complete sense . He feels his eyelids become heavier, his hearts slowing down. He closes his eyes, awaiting whatever void, or howling, or hell is deemed fit for his soul.
No redemption, no penitence, no regeneration.
…
Wait…
Was that...?
He feels a familiar rush of energy coursing through his veins. His cells start to repair and renew themselves. He realizes what is happening, the only thing he still fears. He tries to refuse it, to kill or even slow down the process but there is nothing he can do. The Moment had denied his only escape.
An orange light starts to flicker out from the Warriors body.
"Oh yes, of course. I suppose it makes sense." He spat.
The only decent thing he can do for the universe, and he can't even do that right.
"Gallifrey fallen. I'll have to live with that."
The light grows, each wave of energy building and shuddering almost in fear of the man bound in the blood of his own people.
"But for now, I swear from this moment…"
He had spent a lifetime breaking promises, but this would be the only one he will keep. The only one he can keep.
"I am the Warrior no more".
He closes his eyes in pain as the bronze regeneration energy shoots out from his body. Every cell is on fire as if to burn his very essence away from existence. The energy blazes through the console destroying every mirror and source of light in fury, until all that is left is a dark broken room and a new man born of blood and anger. The man looks at his shattered Tardis with his piercing blue-grey eyes and instead of words, he lets out a cry of rage and sorrow.
/
Author's notes
Hope you liked it! I'm planning on doing every doctor from Eccleston to Smith. I stole the idea of the mirrors smashing from The Day of the Doctor novel which I thought was pretty cool. Just imagine the round things are slightly reflective.
Main differences:
1. The regeneration process is inspired by the classic series with a bigger emphasis on the dying and the Doctor being too weak to even stand instead of stood with arms out.
2. The way the regeneration energy flows is symbolic to the doctor and his final moments in this case The Warrior and Repentance, paying for his sins, self-hatred etc.