The First Ones (ruffian)

[.๑whovian๑.]

Sniff.

Sniff.

Sniffle.

Sniff.

The black horse paused, staring around, and inhaled deeply again. "Ahhh..." he said with a grin. "Smell the air! Can you smell it? There was something keeping us out of here....but now....well, it's gone now. A shield of some sort. Well...we might have gotten in....well, we would have...but we certainly wouldn't have gotten out. But I will say, it wasn't an accident." He looked around. "No, somebody tore it down." He continued walking, and as he did, the smell began to fade away. He didn't bother to see if Ali was right behind him, he knew she was there, he could just tell. "Come on then!" he said cheerfully. He jogged up the hill, and when he came to the top, he paused, and was actually surprised. He stared. "No..." he said incredulously. "No way." It was a town. A human town, a little dusty, and a little old, but it was a genuine town. "What?"

Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.

Ohhhhhh....

"A ghost town," he said softly. "Now there's something you don't see everyday." He grinned, and cantered down the hill right towards the dusty looking buildings. The place had an old, musty sort of feel to it. Soon, his hooves touched dirt, and he looked around, frowning slightly. The place was indeed, creepy. It seemed like there was nobody there, but he knew better. There was a presence of something, that much was for certain. As he scanned the area, he saw something, and felt his stomach lurch. Driving his heels to the ground, he galloped over to a motionless figure, standing some distance away. There was something wrong, and he stared at it with dawning comprehension.

"So this is what happens," he breathed. "It might not show, but this is what happens to every living creature in here." The horse, or what was left, was rotting. His eyes were gone, but there was still flesh. He had been light grey, there was still fur on his face. His ears were little stubs where the bone could be seen, and there were great holes all the way down his neck, showing bone, but there was no blood. Not a drop. Just fleshy redness. His legs were pure bone, and he was surprised that the horse even had a tail. He simply stood there, looking ahead. "Ali," he called. "Come over here." He wanted her opinion on this creature. He paused a moment, and took a deep breath. Sniff. "You're dead," he said firmly. "So why are you still standing?"

"Because that is how he is."

The black horse turned around, looking behind him, and then his attention was drawn somewhere behind the dead horse. There, standing some ten yards away was a horse. A tall, burly chestnut stallion watching them. How long had he been there? The stallion smiled a little, but it was not necessarily friendly. "Aliaalia!" the stallion called. "Come here."

"I just told her that," the black stallion said irritably.
"Well, I'm telling her to come to me," the chestnut argued.
"You should know better than to try and boss a woman around," the Doctor retorted.
"That was not my intent," the chestnut said calmly. The Doctor snorted a little.
"Who are you?"
"Surely you know?"
"Well, yeah, but can't a man ask questions?"
"You just did."
"Oh very clever."
"Thank you."
"You're Bristile, aren't you?"
"Good work. What gave me away?"
"Well, it's not every day you meet a noxadon, and they're not exactly a common species, are they?"
"Correct. Very good."
"In fact.." he paused. "I'd venture a guess to say that you're the last one left."
There was a brief pause.
"Correct again, my friend."
"You smell funny."
"Is that an insult?"
"Could be, you smell...all....timey-wimey weird. What are you?"
"Well, I suppose I smell 'timey wimey' because I am Time."
"Rubbish."
"It's true."
"Again....RUBBISH."
"You're one to talk, you think you're so fancy, hopping around in your little blue box."
"That's "Bigger on the Inside" little blue box to you."
"Oh please, how can something be bigger on the inside?"
"You tell me."
"You think you're so clever, don't you?"
"Maybe I am clever,"
"You're not supposed to travel through time!"
"What do you mean 'I'm not supposed to travel through time' IT'S MY JOB! And you, how can you BE time? That's impossible, completely ridiculous, and I don't believe a word of it."
"Fine then. Do what you wish, but I'll tell you -"
"Girls, girls, you're both pretty, now SHUT UP A MINUTE."

Both horses looked around to see a chestnut mare standing inside the house nearest to them. She looked completely exhausted. The two stallions stared at her, completely put off by being spoken too so rudely. The mare giggled. "Now then. Who the hell are you, and what are you doing on my turf?"

muse; fab
notes; OMG LOLOLOLOLOLOL. Sorry if Ali seems excluded, she's not, honestly.

The Doctor Talking
Bristile Talking

[Velnias]

A l i • a a • l i a

I looked around the abandoned humans' town. They called them ghost towns, although there weren't any ghosts in them. The ghosts of whatever humans that might've at one time been there, had long since vanished. Or been scared off by something more foul; the cursed, the arrival of the infestation of the murderers and thieves, the horses so evil that evil itself cringed at them and they rotted in their own filth of heart. Not that I hadn't committed my fair share, but I hadn't been caught! All thoughts aside, there was obviously someone up there who understood Our cause. So no matter who tried to condemn me, they didn't realize that in the end, I would win. I was already buried deep.

"There have been worse," I said a little absentmindedly, caught up in the strange scenery of the place. The Doctor skipped a few paces ahead, looking around so intently at everything. He was just so fascinated by the feel of the place, and then....he saw the dead horse. Dead, rotted alive. Cursed horses, you see, couldn't die from age or any normal battle wound. In the end, the story went that it was their own flesh that molded inside them, their heart replaced with charred dust, their bodies turned to ash, their voices whispers on the wind... I cast a solemn look at the horse, while The Doctor took longer to approach the body, the horse standing still as a statue, and he acted almost afraid, or not quite, but anxious. I looked away, busying myself with another realm of thoughts. The Doctor couldn't see me anyway. I turned from the sight, my gray dappled hide cast with dark shades from the depressing gray clouds overhead.

You can't exactly smell a god coming, but you can feel him. I got a bristling at the back of my neck that made me turn. Down the road, an open door of a building gaped innocently. It was dark, but a shape protruded from it. An outline of a face, that then emerged from the door. A tall, broad, chestnut stallion. The feel of him was utter indomitability, sheer wisdom. I hadn't seen the god before, but when he spoke his voice boomed, old and with youthful strength behind it. Time. Bristile. I flattened my ears before I pricked them again, looking from The Doctor to the god, when finslly Bristile said my name. He called me over to him and at the same time, The Doctor beckoned me nearer to him. I set my jawline, daring someone to say something.

I looked from one to the other, just standing there, as they shot remarks back and forth. I rolled my own eyes and I don't think they noticed me as quietly, I stepped forward and put myself between them. I stamped a hoof hard in the dirt in the middle of the old, dusty street. "WHAT," I said over their voices, "do you want with me?" I faced Bristile with a fiery look ablaze in my eyes. He obviously had a bone to pick with The Doctor, and as I watched them piece by piece unfolded before me. Obviously Bristile, being a god, could jump in and out of the realms and he had perfect reason to be here, but I could only come up blank when I askd myself what he needed me for. If he brought up the Sisterhood, which was possible...or Ebon? Maybe he had information about my son. But all hese things I would have found out by now. Mother would have notified me. Was this about the other Sister Mother had mentioned? Jessica...was her name. All these things I thought, staring at the god with cold eyes.

Then a mare interruped. She spoke from behind us and all eyes turned to her. I looked over my shoulder and saw the chestnut mare emerging from a building, her voice tired and strained. She smelled just like the place, and that was why I hadn't caught her scent. I didn't want another added into our little mix right now considering Bristile might've had something meaningful to say to me but The Doctor started to rag on him about being Time. Although I didn't believe in the whole 'controlling time' facade, I didn't see that The Doctor made a smart move, pitting his temperament against Bristile. But he as on his own now. And this fourth mare seemed perfectly alright with standing up to them both.

No one spoke. Then I did, because I didn't want to stand around all day. "Well, I have a reason to be in this town, and I suppose he does," I looked at Bristile, "and he followed me here," I glanced at The Doctor, "and I don't in fact know why you're here. I don't see your name on this town. Anywhere." I returned the mare's stare, but it wasn't harsh and in the same scolding tone I'd earlier used. I just didn't want to be sidetracked, get off course, and get caught. But the mare did look tired. Although I couldn't help that, either. I was exhausted, too, but I didn't have to flaunt it.

WORDS don't know
MUSE good!
NOTES n/a

[.๑whovian๑.]

There was a very short pause in which the stallions, black and chestnut simply stared between the two mares. Then, the black stallion grinned. He looked at Bristile. "Well, despite your oddities, it's very nice to meet you." he said jovially. Bristile smiled wryly. "To be continued?" he suggested. The Doctor nodded. "Of course," There was a time and place for arguing about Time, and though both of them could go all day, they both had far more important things to worry about besides who was right and who was wrong. Ali was speaking again, and the black stallion gave her a slightly dirty look, but it was all in good spirits. So, he was a follower now, was he? He snorted inwardly. Follower indeed. I suppose it's a nice change. He thought to himself.

Meanwhile, the mare was watching the little group with great amusement. "I don't suppose I have fooled you," she said. She was a tall, sleek chestnut mare, certainly not one of these lands, as was deducted by the Doctor in a matter of milliseconds. She looked at the black stallion curiously, and the grey, but she paid no attention to the chestnut for the time being. "I am well aware that you two have been traveling together," she said calmly. "I've been following you." she said. If she had any power, it was just that. She could slip through anywhere and disappear, practically become invisible to anyone she did not wish to be seen by. The black stallion looked mildly impressed. "So I take it you followed us here?" he said. She nodded. Then, she turned her attention to Ali. "And what reasons, other than investigation do you have for being here? These barriers have just been lifted, and I believe we are the first ones through here."

"You are indeed, the first mortal horses to travel through here," said the tall chestnut stallion. The black one had trouble restraining an eye roll. Mortals. Good grief. However, he decided to let it go. "However," continued the chestnut, "these barriers have been lifted for longer,"

"Two days," said the black. He couldn't help himself. The chestnut looked at him with a quizzical brow. The black cleared his throat sheepishly. "Sorry." he muttered. "Go on," The chestnut rolled his eyes.

"Yes, exactly two days, as my fine fellow tells us," said Bristile loftily. He then turned his attention to Ali. She was looking at him with blazing eyes, a strong, fiery mare. Bristile looked at her. He would be leaving shortly, he had business elsewhere, and he had to speak with two horses. Kalli would want to know of these travelers, and fate was driving him to others as well. He inhaled deeply, breathing the air, and without warning, he transformed. The tall, black horselike creature towered over the minuscule horses, his withers at over six feet. However, he was not so ridiculously large that he could not still have a decent conversation. He walked up to the grey mare, till he was extremely close. He leaned forward and whispered so quietly she was the only one who could hear. "Keep in touch, harden your heart, and dampen your pride. Dangerous times lie ahead, and a lonely god needs you as you need him." He stepped away without another word.

He then walked to the chestnut, ignoring the black stallion, and made his way directly up to her. She stared at him somewhat apprehensively. He smiled and did the same thing as he did to Ali. "Your time approaches, but do not fear. As something ends, something begins, and keep true to your faith and friends." She blinked, somewhat confused, but he said nothing, and explained no further.

Finally, he approached the black stallion, who stood and watched him curiously. Bristile smiled a little. "Time travelers," he said with a smile, and he shook his head. The black stallion grinned a bit. Bristile approached him, and his voice was so distant and so small, the black stallion had to strain his ears to catch the words. "Ever seeing, never seen, do not fight for something you cannot catch. Time Lord, your time approaches, a good man goes to war. Seek no glory, and keep your peace." He backed up, and was pleased to see that the horse looked utterly bewildered. He stared at him, his quizzical brow saying only one thing to the stallion. How did you know that? Bristile merely backed away.

"Aliaalia, Serena, and the roaming black nag," he said, addressing them all. The Doctor chuckled.
"You don't know my name." he said with a grin.
"No, I do not," said Bristile, slightly irritated. The Doctor cackled. "The Doctor, so you're called, but I see no name behind that 'name', but it is not your real one, is it?"
"Nope."
"And I don't suppose you're going to tell me, are you?"
"Nope."
The chestnut stallion chuckled.
"Fine then."

The chestnut mare stared at the black stallion in astonishment. How did the Lord of Time not know the stallions name? All gods knew the names of every single living thing in the world, it was their divine right, even those who spoke no name or had changed it long ago, those who tried with all their power to keep it a secret could not keep it from the gods. So how did this horse do it? She stared at him, full of wonder and curiosity, but soon, Bristile was talking again.

"My friends, you are some of the most intelligent horses to walk this land," he said. "And now, I give you a task. You have discovered that the barriers have been broken down, and you all know the reason. The horses once known as The Cursed have been set free, and war is declared. The greatest war of all time is about to take place, and you must spread this news. There is no way of stopping it, you can only prepare the world. First, you must search this town, and find any Cursed horses that roam here who will fight for their freedom against the other Cursed. Then, you must leave this place, and spread the word. Doctor, look for one much like yourself, and a brute you would normally hate. Ali, find your feet, and follow your instincts, they need you. Serena, immortal love awaits you, do not let him stray." The last words were said grinning, and the chestnut mare looked utterly bewildered and rather embarrassed.

The black noxadon surveyed them all, and in that moment, he spoke through his thoughts, into their minds. You know what I have said to you, and there is no need to relay it to others. "This is where I leave you." he said quietly. "Good luck" With that, his knees and hocks buckled, and with one swift and powerful movement, he launched himself into the air, and flew away with such speed that he disappeared before anybody even knew which direction he was going. The Doctor sighed heavily.

"Well now," he said. "Serena, Ali, shall we move deeper into this land of despair and ghosts?"

words;1212
muse; fab
notes; okay so i have an idea.....they should find Sweeney, Jack, and Fly. if not well then discard the task for searching the town and the Doctor's last comment.

Doctor Talk
Bristile Talk
Serena Talk

[Velnias]

A l i • a a • l i a

“I think it’s time we find out what our purpose really is in a place like this,” I said aloud with something like a tired sigh and added under my breath, “and get out of this wide open street.” I looked around once, just anxiously, and didn’t see any dark figures pressed up against a wall, the shadows lurking around a corner, telltale signs. But the lack of signs in and of itself was a warning to behold. It had been a good, long while since I’d run into the pursuers that I was certain were always there, and knew if I stayed around to dare to find out I wouldn’t easily escape with my life anyhow. It was only a matter of time before we crossed our paths and more than anything, I just wanted to get out of the open. Now that the borders of the Cursed lands themselves had been lifted, something I had actually waited for to happen for some time now, they would know it, too, and it would be one less protection, one less invisible barrier between me and them. But I was relieved Bristile’s words to me had been spoken only to me, mystifying as they seemed, and only I was meant to understand them in time. But I had a hunch I knew what the prophecy meant, although for now I couldn’t be sure whether it would be good for me or not.

I stared down the narrow, deserted street, the heavy, lofty presence of Bristile now leaving the air feeing more empty, and silent as ever. Feeling a bit sick at my stomach I almost wished the god hadn’t left because just from the shift of the air, the change of scents, I could nearly smell death coming and with it, my past may or may not be revealed. I was determined to keep I buried in the desert beneath the years and the steps I’d taken to put distance between it and myself. Not that I wanted to be normal. Normal and boring were two things I utterly was not. But people would hold grudges and take things the wrong way and if they found me here, disguised as I was, I would be put to death and the plan would fail. I was the last thing standing in the way or utter chaos to be caused by it. More would die for me. The web I’d woven all these years would be unraveled. Mother would call it an act of war, and the Sisters were planted everywhere already. They would cause another war, a war even deeper rooted from within than this one, the war between the Cursed and the gods themselves.

Before Bristile had intervened and the chestnut mare had asked me with a hint of knowing something, or pretending to, or acting like she thought she could get it out of me, I’d replied that “my reasons were my own, and not hers to know.” I figured that that would put her off a little and she’s realize she couldn’t pull simply whatever she wanted out of me. It would make her ask questions, make her doubt me from judging what her character seemed to be like, and in turn… I threw a glance at the mare, keeping a wary eye on her. The Doctor was quite alright, very happy-go-lucky to keep at it. I didn’t think at first, he realized he full impact of the situation but then again, he’d been peppy through the whole ordeal and it seemed as though he thought of the war as pure folly, but not something to mess around about. But either way, I didn’t see him personally campaigning to fight anytime soon. This war would greater affect me than him, I realized. As for the mare? I could only guess, but when had my guesses last been wrong? She knew what had happened to the barriers of the Cursed lands before either of us was certain about it, and obviously no later than Bristile himself. I suspected she took this war seriously, one way or the other.

“Wait,” I said to The Doctor as he made ready to skip off, deeper into the lands of the accursed. I wanted to take a closer look at the dead or dying or rotting thing that still stood here, stock-still. It had drawn my attention since we’d been here in the first place. The dark horse looked like his coat, although dark stained it was, was devoid of true coloring an like his figure was dulled and sort of half-there, half withered into dust, I was sure. I also knew I couldn’t rely on The Doctor to know the first thing about the horse, and I didn’t trust Serena anyway. “Doctor,” I motioned him over. The horse’s skin was cold to the touch, and I pressed my muzzle against its chest. No heartbeat. That, in fact, surprised and scared me with a little jolt. “These horses die slowly, at least with a lot of excruciating pain all in a moment or two.” I looked to The Doctor with my eyes dark as I grasped the full meaning of this. I couldn’t be sure if he did or not. “He wasn’t in a lot of excruciating pain when he died.” The horse’s skin was cold, stiff, but the muscles had been relaxed and weren’t showing through the skin as if strained. The dead horse was tall enough I didn’t need to bend to look at its neck. I ran my velvet nose along his throat, locating his Adam’s apple at rest. A horse should have looked more like he’d been choking on his own blood or gasping for air. And even if the horse had simply stopped walking and shut down on his body right then and there, I noticed something further. He’d died looking at something intently. The horse’s body was poised as though he’d stared at whatever it was. Maybe it had scared him even. I followed his eyes, and hey led me down the far row of buildings, just inside a barely opened, dark doorway. From out of that small crack of blackness coming from that small, broken doorway of that small, ruined house, a tiny red light glared back at me.

“Oh, f—stupid, stupid!” I whirled away from the light, facing The Doctor next to me. I said in a whisper, “Four doors down. Left side of the street. That horse didn’t die on his own.” I drew a sharp intake of breath in my chest and calmed myself down. “We do need to move. Now,” I said, looking down at the ground. I felt the wind, suddenly cold on my back, make my skin flinch and I lifted my head. “That way,” I pointed in the distance where the town, dusty and weathered, ended about two more streets down and past it, past the dry, cracked desert that ended in trees on the horizon, and black mountains could be seen scraping the clouds in the faraway dark gray sky. As far away from the Eye as possible. No doubt there would be more. They had done what I’d hoped they wouldn’t. They had sent the Warden after me.


WORDS don't know
MUSE EPIC!!!!
NOTES n/a

[.๑whovian๑.]

He stood, contemplating and working the words over in his mind. Bristile was not Time, that much he knew. However, he was not just some ordinary monkey. He was a powerful creature, he probably wasn't even from this planet. But of course, he's a noxadon! An ancient creature with a brilliant mind, almost as brilliant as himself! However, they also had a knack for knowing the future, and that knack was better than actually knowing the future, like he did. Bristile knew something about him that he himself didn't, and not only was that a change, it was a wonderful, brilliant, and very interesting change. He stood there, contemplating Bristile for a moment, contemplating his words. For starters, he understood the first part, for the most part anyways. He always saw things, he helped, he did things, but nobody ever knew he was there. That part was simple.

As far as the second part was concerned, he was a little confused, but it sounded fairly easy. Why would he try to get something he couldn't? However, he had done that before...he felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know what it meant, but it could easily be something unpleasant. As for the last part, he knew exactly what it meant. It meant that he would have to give up everything he stood for, he would have to stand up and be somebody he wasn't but he would have to. He would be a different man. If he had to. However, maybe he was going to far in his thoughts, maybe he didn't have to change. Seek no glory.... of course. He understood. Seek no glory, seek no fame or honor, fight how you fought before and fight hard. He could do that. He was certain of it. Peace and war did not often go together, but if he could somehow bring them together, then maybe...just maybe, he could still be The Doctor.

"What is that thing?" Serena asked. The black stallion turned to look at her, and realized she was looking at the "dead" horse. Ali was also investigating it this time, she checked for a heartbeat. He approached the horse, and Ali was speaking again. He looked at the sad, stiff corpse, and stared at him. His expression was stony, somber, ancient, and terribly sad all at the same time as he looked into the rotted eye sockets of the once white stallion. He looked at him for a long time before he spoke.

"No, he was not," he replied quietly to Ali's remark. "He did not suffer any physical pain..." The horse stood ever still, straight as ever, and the black horse looked at him with such a deep sense of grief it seemed to stretch his very soul. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry." He looked over at Serena who was approaching them now and cleared his throat, then looked back at the rotting stallion again and opened his mouth to say two words. Two words.


"Hello Polaris." The horse's rotting head turned and stared straight at the black stallion. "Oh my god!" whispered Serena. "He's alive!" The Doctor snorted. "Oh no, no no no, he's far worse than that. It's like when you preserve something, like a mummy, but you don't do it properly. Well, he can't live, but he certainly hasn't died. Ali, you are correct, he has not suffered, and the body is dead. The only thing left of this horse is his mind." the last words were spoken bitterly. There was no playfulness, no light hearted, or spirited way in which he observed the horse.

"This horse's name is Polaris, and I met him. Three hundred years ago, when the horses who had been cursed first were moved here. He was a murderer, probably one of the most wretched horses you'll ever meet. So, he was sent here. However, the idiot didn't do it properly, so he's been rotting forever. Slowly decaying, slowly falling apart with only his mind to understand what was happening to him."

"But," said Serena slowly. "Don't they deserve it?" She had touched the wrong nerve. The black stallion closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the sorrow lingered, but fury had the center stage. He marched up to her, and stared her in the eye. "LOOK AT THAT!" he snarled, thrusting his head violently in the direction of Polaris. "DOES ANY LIVING THING ON THIS EARTH DESERVE TORMENT LIKE THAT?" his voice was not so loud, as it was old and powerful as he spoke to the mare, who backed away fearfully. He came even closer to her, his eyes ablaze.

"Now you listen to me Serena, and you make sure you listen properly," he hissed. "I have endured pain that no living thing should experience, and I have seen the limits of your souls. That horse is broken. His heart, his soul will never be the same again! He will never be a normal horse, he will never be forgiven, or forgive himself for what he did because that is what he has become! That is what he has been turned into and if you think he deserves that then you should go on and give it a try yourself." He was at the point of deadly now, but he did not strike, and he spun away from her and walked back to Ali. When she spoke, he turned his head slowly in the direction of the light.

"What light?" Serena asked irritably. The Doctor sighed. "You see it, it's staring at you, the thing you see out of the corner of your eye but don't want to see or notice." he said all this without looking at her. "No, I'm not moving, because whether or not these are my final words, I have the right to look at this thing, and it has the right to look at me directly in the eye, and if it is going to kill me then it will kill every living thing on this earth anyways, so bring it on."

words; 1043
muse; fab
notes; The Doctor just got a whole lot darker.

[Velnias]

A l i • a a • l i a

Well, I hadn’t expected the horse to come to ‘life’ again. I’d expected something different, entirely…but no time for that now. This horse, Polaris, his body had shut down. It rotted away, slowly, from the outside. That much we could see. But the horse’s eyes, though lifeless and dull, still had a soul. My mouth grim, I looked into his eyes. A…a thought came spinning into my mind. Polaris was dead in body, but if his mind still could function, then maybe…just maybe I could find out what happened to him. Find out if he’d really only died slowly, painfully, without pain, but standing here to rot. Or if they had found him first. If he’d been part of the plan in the first place. I stared into his eyes, mine unblinking, but full of many things. The wind in this town was dry and stale and it tousled my hair, but I didn’t move.

I felt The Doctor and Serena’s presences near me. The Doctor spoke about Polaris and I only tried to block him out. His mind, Polaris’ mind was so hard to reach… And then Serena made The Doctor angry and it was all I could take. I tried not to snap, I really did. ”ENOUGH!” I hissed at them, throwing an offhanded glance at the red light. I could feel that Eye burning into my back, thinking about me, and I knew I didn’t have much time. ”I want to try something,” I said to The Doctor, really hoping that the two of them would quiet down, ”and I need to focus.”

Who did this…you… I said in my mind. Trying to talk to Polaris was like walking into a wind tunnel, and I felt myself shouting the words, hoping what was left of his mind would receive and understand them. TELL M…HOW…HELP YOU… I closed my eyes, trying to remember how his were void of life but full of soul. I soon lost the connection to him, though my mind-speak had been strong. I could only hope. For moments afterward I was quiet, and bowed my head, listening for a reply, hoping he’d heard me. Then The Doctor looked up, past me, and I felt the seething anger radiate from his coat. My eyes were flashing when I opened them.

”You, you think…” I said, my voice hoarse at first, ”that you’re so very brave.” I leaned in close to his ear and whispered, ”You think you have all the time in the world? In the universe? Just hop in your little blue box and go wherever it takes you!” My voice now a hiss, I turned away from him. I had just given him a vital piece of information to chew on. So we Sisters knew more than we let on, didn’t we? I looked long and hard at Polaris. I had tried to tell him that if there was a way, I would find out how he’d come to be like he was. Only a matter of time? Or not? I wanted him to know I could mind-speak. He knew; the others didn’t, though The Doctor may have guessed, but to them it only looked as though I’d been meditating. ”It doesn’t work like that,” I said aloud to The Doctor for Serena to hear. ”Because the Eyes don’t kill you, they follow you. Until you go mad, or until you slow down. Then they catch you like animals. You don’t die. Yet. They play with you first. One by one. They take you to a place that can’t be found and watch, and you never die until they’ve had their fun, and then they pick you off. You can’t escape. You forget what it was like, being free.”

I shook my head, trying to explain to them the feeling of hopelessness, knowing I was a target. They would get me sooner or later. But not now. Maybe not for a long time. With that thought I tossed my head with a sense of urgency returning to me. I held my nose to the air and smelled rain, knowing it must be on the other side of the barrier. It obviously never rains here, I thought, glancing around at the dusty streets, the dry wooden buildings, and feeling the dry wind tickle my nostrils. But maybe, now that the walls had, as Bristile told us, been lifted… ”Can we take him with us?” It might’ve seemed like a silly question, but I was serious. We couldn’t leave him here. Take him, or find a way to talk with him. ”I can’t stay here much longer,” I added, looking from Polaris to The Doctor to the end of the dusty street, where the road ended in an old two-story building, where I could have sworn that a pair or more eyes were watching us. Me.

WORDS 918
MUSE very very good!
NOTES dramatic much?

[.๑whovian๑.]

He paused for a moment at the mare's angry voice, and looked at her. He knew what she was doing. He sighed a moment, and listened to her words to Polaris. He sort of did that, he could always hear mind communication, it was one of those weird things that just sort of came with the job description. He sighed a little as she tried to communicate with the horse. He wasn't sure that it would work, and if it did, well he didn't know if the horse's brain was functioning well enough to think up a reply. It was a curious, and very sad situation for the horse to be in, and it was gut wrenching. He sighed.

He then realized how extremely rude he had just been to poor Serena. She didn't know any better. He was about to apologize when all of a sudden, he had a face full of Ali. He blinked a little as she snarled at him, and he simply stared at her as she ranted on him. As soon as she finished, he said the first thing that popped into his head, and it was accompanied by a slightly bizarre grin. "Well, that was rather rude Ali, acting like you know everything about a bloke you've barely known for a day," he said, almost reprimanding her, but not quite. He wasn't even sure what had made him say it, and then. Then, a real grin crept onto his face, and he said in a slightly sly, slightly good natured, and also with just a hint of curiosity, "Was that supposed to sound impressive?"

However, despite these words, and the odd way he was able to conjure up a genuine smile, those words hurt. They were a painful slap in the face, and so many memories flew through his mind all at once, but the pain she caused him was undetectable. For some reason, it made it easier for him to be upbeat. Maybe that was how he worked. He was good at being calm while everyone else exploded around him. However, suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a raspy, uncoordinated voice that made him jump. He had been so distracted, he had not noticed the muttering inside his head. Serena jumped as well. Telepathy was a completely new thing to her.

I....the.....Gods.......what.......me.....

The black stallion only took a moment to reprimand himself a little for his foolish start, and then he walked over to the rotting horse. He looked at him a moment, waiting. The horse looked confused. "It's alright," he said. "take your time, you'll get the hang of it."


I...it was long time ago. At beginning of Cursed lands. A cruel thing, his name I do not know, banished now, turned me into this. He did not do it right, and so I rotted from the inside out, slowly losing every bit of me that makes me a horse. That makes me alive. I can walk, and I can speak to your minds.

"Has anyone ever tried to fix you up?" the black stallion asked softly.

Bristile. He was kind to me, he spoke with me. When he could not fix me up, he found a way to preserve me, to keep me alive, and to possibly give me away back. He stationed me at the portal to the Mirror, and gave me a new way. I am the light at the end of the tunnel. I am the lonely north star that directs the lost.

"And what name did he give you?" The Doctor asked. He stared intently at Polaris. He had been able to use Telepathy before, but he liked to talk way too much. It was just who he was. Polaris looked at him.

My name is what I lost. What many of my kind lost. What you, Doctor have never lost, and you cannot lose. What you, Ali, are always seeking, and keep in your heart. What you Serena have lost, and you must find it again, or I will die. It is you who still have me that keep me alive. I am the north star, the one who gives. I help the lost. I, am Hope.

The Doctor and Serena both stared at the white stallion, and the Doctor found himself slightly lost for words. Hope. This, was the living personification of Hope, thanks to Bristile. "You poor thing," Serena whispered. The Doctor looked at her praisingly. "There's a change," he said quietly. Serena looked at him, and they both understood, and accepted each others apologies without speaking a word. The Doctor gave her a blazing look with a message that was hard for her to understand. Then, he looked at Ali. He needed to get something straight with her. "Well," he said. "I think we should take him with us, and head inland, but first," he said, and he paused. "I would like you to understand, that for me, there is never, never enough time. Also, I talk a lot." Then, he grinned. "And there is nothing you can do about it, so either buck up or go home."

Then, he turned to look at the light and frowned, slightly puzzled. "Well, Ali, this light is obviously your area of expertise, but I see nothing else to do other than just press on for now."

"I think we should head deeper into town, I saw a couple of horses a few hours ago while I was wandering through here, I think Bristile was suggesting we should find them," said Serena. The black stallion nodded at her, and looked at Ali. "Shall we press on?" he said lightly.

words; 943
muse; good
notes; that turned out different than I expected.......

[Velnias]

A l i • a a • l i a

"Right," I muttered under my breath. I watched The Doctor with intensity as the whispers - faint at first - filled my head. Serena started, definitely unsure what to do about it. I set my mouth in a frown, listening to how Polaris communicated and his words slowly grew clearer and less slurred. In my mind I gave up trying to interject; The Doctor was much too absorbed and ready to take over whatever conversation I'd tried to begin with the stallion. But I clamped my mouth shut and walked away silently, brooding. I caught a wary eye from the other mare on my way out and looked back as though right through her. The streets were long and dark and quiet. The echoes of Polaris' voice still echoed in my head. Because I was a mind-speaker, I picked up on those things from a distance away, so I caught all of Polaris' and most of The Doctor's words bouncing around without having to flex my ears behind me to listen.

The Doctor approached me later. I was checking out the buildings, looking without a lead so far as to what might've gone on here. There was just the stinking smells of age and death. Old, old death. I heard The Doctor talking to me but I didn't respond, really. No use continuing to talk when there was so much to do. He suggested we bring Polaris along and inside I was glad he'd even considered an opinion of mine. But naturally, I had to show my skeptticism. One of us had to have a level head if we were to journey any farther in our quest. "And, you propose to do this, how exactly?" I raised my brow, searching The Dctor's face. I didn't miss the unnerved perkiness. But I also dodn't miss something else in his eyes, before it was gone.

"I'll leave that to you, then," I said after a pause, stepping around him. I had no more to say. But I was aware that as I walked, though my voice was hard and chipper, my head held high, my eyes level and giving away naught, my shoulders sagged only slightly as I walked. They were straight and proud but I felt a heavy weight dragging me down. I finished my examination of the nearby buildings and, hoping The Doctor was at work doing whatever he needed done for Polaris, I ventured to the end of the dust-made road, looking both ways, listening for a noise or any movement. There was a tall, creaking wood store that loomed ahead of me. It leaned over the street like a hunched figure, stained glass windows looking down at me from the second story. There was a sign tacked outside the door, which was closed tight, unlike the rest which were all swung open or detatched completely. It read BARBER, and though curiosity nagged at me I held back from venturing a single step closer. Fear is the mindkiller... "Are we ready?" I asked the others. "Considering Serena lives here, she should be the one to lead onwards." I raised my brow, feeling impatient, and anty to lead onwards myself. I was a leader, not a follower, but I was a good hider. And she had yet to prove herself to me.

WORDS 632
MUSE very good
NOTES wuld've done more!! But I'm tired and have many more posts to do. So Serena must lead the way for now.

[.๑whovian๑.]

OMG....I'm back!!!!! O.o sorry, I failed at life, but Chemistry decided to kill me for a month. I have been resurrected!!!

kk...im Lazy. This takes place an hour or so later, sorry if i get a little off and please forgive me and feel free to shout if I'm totally straying off course.

Some time Later...

After successfully pulling off some wibbley wobbley stuff, the Doctor had managed to repair some of Polaris's...well, injuries, of a sort. He had had nothing to say to Ali, as much as he had wanted too, but he felt a tension between them that needed to cool off first. Serena also sensed some rather....tense feelings in the air, and had been somewhat surprised at Ali's suggestion to lead them through the ghost town, however, she had not complained, and so, they had begun their journey. It was official now; more so than it had been with Ali and the Doctor wandering through the woods and looking for trouble, it seemed so concrete now...their journey on the road to war. For war waited for them, hiding in the shadows...

"I still don't understand why he sent us back here," Serena said warily. The Doctor sighed.

"The old man has his reasons," he said heavily. He chuckled a little. Old man. He wondered how old Bristile was, probably a few thousand to say the least. He wondered how that added up in his universe....he was probably, what, six? Seven hundred? The Doctor marveled at it; a horse living that long of a life. Of course, Time ran in horse years hear, which meant that Bristile was a lot older, and so was he.

"Doctor!" Serena shouted. He blinked, and looked over at her.

"What?" he asked blankly. Serena snorted.

"Space Man! Come back to earth! God, how did you put up with this idiot for two whole days Ali?" Serena asked the grey mare.

"Oi!"

"Oh be quiet," she hissed. There was a brief pause.

"Where you going to ask me something?" the Doctor asked her moodily.

"Oh! Yeah, Doctor, how old are you?" she said. He blinked. He had not expected such a question.

"Well...let's see....." he pondered this for a moment, trying to calculate, muttering under his breath..."900 times 16....whoa! Blimey I'm like ancient history around here.....I think that puts me at around five thousand years old." the last bit he said for all to hear, though his calculations were obviously false; he was not going to say that he was over ten thousand years old. Even he had enough dignity to hide THAT. "Then again...I could be wrong," he muttered, beginning to ramble. "It's hard, you know, I go so many places, time is so scrambled,"

The beast is coming.

"It's hard to really understand....come again?" he stopped mid sentence. Serena had stopped dead in her tracks, and looked like she might faint at any moment. The Doctor looked over at Ali. "Can you hear him too?" he asked. He wondered if Polaris was addressing all of them.

The beast is coming. He comes in black and white, with his puzzle friend and the maniac.

"Oh...." Serena said with a giggle. "God, Polaris, do you have to talk like that?"

"Who's coming?" the Doctor said...quietly. He didn't like using telepathy, but he could at least speak softly.

The beast.

"Who's the beast?"

The black and white man. The demon.

"Great....yes, a demon, a puzzle, and a maniac, very descriptive, thanks....oh.....that was a bit rude, wasn't it?"

"A bit."

The maniac. Good I think. And the puzzle, ah, a puzzle. He approaches.

----------

It wasn't long after the morbid prediction of the maniac and the beast, and the puzzle when the Doctor caught a whiff of something. He stopped walking, ears pricked, listening intently. Somebody, or something was coming. Serena stopped, watching him as he turned his head this way and that, trying to pinpoint the source of the smell. And the sound. His nostril twitched. The beast was coming, so Polaris was probably right, and whoever it was, they were about to meet him. The black stallion also noticed that they were keeping themselves well hidden, probably waiting for the right moment to pounce. He waited, tensed, and then....

"Well hellooo sexies,"

The Doctor froze, staring in between two buildings where a horse was standing in the shadows. He stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be a tall, nearly black stallion with a stripe down his nose. He was lean and muscular, and the Doctor noticed that Serena was blinking furiously as though she was staring directly into the sunlight. The Doctor snorted internally, but when he finally found his voice, he said the first thing that popped into his head.

"Did you just call me sexy?"

words; 828
muse; returned!!! omg that was a lot of fun. Jack is extremely fun to play....
notes; im guessing Sweeny ( and eventually Fly) will be entering? It seemed fitting, and I would love to move this war plot along O.o...lol I failed at life. Sorry I was gone, but I hope this is good!

ppsst....jack is orange!! O.o

[Velnias]

OOC - I had every intention of bringing Sweeney in this post. But I was going to let you pick, hence Ali stopped at the sign.

LOVELOVE Polaris for giving him an epical stagey entrance. Did you ever see his picture, BTW? (haha, Booker T. Washington...my highschool...)*laughter dies*

[.๑whovian๑.]

LOL YAY, I'm glad you approve......wow...I am going to have four horses in this....just for future reference:

The Doctor
Serena
Jack
Fly

[Velnias]

I am going to enjoy this.

He dressed in a long gray frock coat with a cane. No, no top hat. That would be too Geordie. But he was wise, the age showed around his whiskers. He carried himself with dignity, and here he was again. Standing next to me. Waiting for me to make a move. "Don't you dare sing again." I didn't even need to look at the brute any longer. I knew his weathered face by heart. He just stood there, and when something crucial would happen, and the organ music would start to play, and the thunder would roll in...he'd light up on a tune. Then the others would all appear. It didn't do any good to talk to them. Our relationship was one-sided. They sang, talked, muttered whisperings in my ear, warnings! But they could not hear my screaming agony. How I longed to be with my loved one, but she was gone. Taken. By the storm that swept through here with his eagle's talons.

I zipped my lips shut, and my face molded into an ugly look. I brooded over the ghost town, peering down at it from my old bird's eye view here on the tippy-top corner of Fleet Street. I blinked my eyes, shut, open. The gentleman still stood beside me, next to me, his breath even with me. We were two parts of a whole, you know. He sensed some commotion below. I hardly gave it a second glance; I barely bothered to look. Staring out through my glass window, I saw the whole town. I'd seen them coming. I'd seen the mare. She was gray, long-haired like my Lucy. Lucy hadn't been gray though: she'd been the most beautiful golden palomino. But why, you say, you two would never look good side-by-side. You, and your white blanched face and your coat black like death, stained with old, old blood? You, with your dark pits for eyes, and your endless staring gaze? You, with your stripe-stricken hair, and her with her flowing golden mane and beautiful body?

Actually, you wouldn't say that. You might gargle it as your very own blood spilled out your throat, but never have the time to tell me I'm too ugly. Not good enough for her. We were perfect for each other. We loved each other. So much so that we had proclaimed a little baby filly between us. Johanna. Now, here I stood. She'd probably changed, too. I used to be handsome, this place used to be our home. And filled with light and love, mind you. Our love. Now it was gray, and dead, and I was black and white and dead inside, but I kept on living. He'd made me Cursed, wth his rotten power of his. He's expelled me into the darkest and most faraway place. Who knows what he might have done to her? If ever I had my hands across his throat...

I left the penthouse window. I crossed the rectangle room, my hooves creaking on the floorboards. The gray gentleman walked silently behind me. I'd almost give anything to be a silent ghost, but what if, gods permit, she should wander back one day? I'd feel like my lips were trapped shut and I'd be forced to watch her cry for losing me. I'd drink in every second o seeing her. But I was here, walking out my barber's shop door. I was standing at the top of the stairs. Part of me wasn't sure whether I would want to even get into this mix. The gentleman was patiently waiting, and I almost wanted him to give me a little push, as if to hurry me on. He had other things to do. Other ghosts to plague. But, no. I was on my own. I sighed a deep breath and regained the bitter scowl across my pale face. Gods forbid I should have let a look of peace come over me back there, even for just a moment.

Creak. Creak. Creeeak. One by one, each hoof creaked down the stairs. I reached the landing. Then I faced the door, which had been left open a crack. Light seeped through it, and voices. It was eerie even to me, my own self. Oh, I would torture that pain-in-the-as--NECK! That colt would pay for ruining my window. And the mare. They thought I was mad. I would show them mad. I would show them rage. Every bone in my body creaked with the old wooden stairs. The narrow hallway was right before me, I was now eye-level with it. The gentleman was behind me, invisible to all but the one he plagued. I was nearing the door now, only three steps away, two away, one!

"Welcome. Welcome to Fleet Street."

~

"What in the hell are you doing?" I could have sworn it was there, words fringed with so much seething hatred I nearly jumped out of my skin hearing them. Up flew my head, open flew my two eyes, and I took in the gods-awful sight that stood there. His beaded eyes were on me, two big black its. Eyes of a killer. Fearfearisthemindkillerhe'sakiller fear fear is the mind killer Fear is the mindkiller. Calm down. His voice had startled me, surely, but here was a stallion, standing in the pen door to the place called Barber. There was a dark thing, evil crawling out of his mouth when he spoke. I was sure of it. His face was ghostly, and the darkness inside the two-story creaking building covered the rest of his body. Then his eyes, still bearing down on me, suddenly zoomed in. I stepped back, my face unreadable again. Just like that of gray steel to hide the emotions that had once been screaming through me.

He stepped out into the light. He was taller than all of us, but maybe the Doctor was as tall as he was. His body was black, his coat a lustrous ebony. Until I looked closer. There were faint spots of red. There were bloodstains, left on his coat. Killer. Polaris knew...was this the beast? There could be no other. But he had mentioned three, hadn't he? I couldn't take my eyes off this one, though. He stared at all of us, his face strangely calm. His hair was black, too, except for a wide streak of white just behind his ears. Just moments ago, I'd been listening in to Polaris. Then, the other stallion had appeared. Now, some kind of demonic thing was in front of me. The first thing to cross my mind when I saw him: run. The second thing: that it was pointless.

~

"Welcome. Welcome to Fleet Street." I appraised the mare, who visibly underwent some kind of pshycological stress calming routine. All I knew at first was that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard me, because she, for one, hadn't thought to look up. I had the feeling she never did anything like this, and though I was the only one to have seen the look of utter surprise, shock, and something like fearcome onto her face, she acted like it was an admission of power over to me. She didn't need to worry, though. I was normally much less...careless with dispatching those of the female gender. I was, after all, a men's barber. Women didn't typically visit the barber, did they? So one of them would have to realy get under my skin, before I would raise my hand. Whereas the males only had to be an unlucky customer who forgot to bring his friend along to wait.

Unless I could get these two alone, I realized trying to bake either of them would be futile. No one actually knew about my practices, see? I was just a barber. Come and welcome, one and all. Don't be shy, step right up. I'd rolled right over my earlier fun spree. I was through dealing with the imposter Jacky and Mrs. Lovett. If I didn't find the real ones soon enough, I'd have to slaughter them all. I can do it, you know. I am...perfectly capable. But anyhow, I wasn't going to let anyone in this little circle know anything I'd just been thinking. Though I could have sworn I could almost feel that fellow prodding me, the one that couldn't move but he talked to them through his mind. Well, now, we would see who mastered the art of deception. Wouldn't we?

I stepped into the light. There was a plump, rather almost pretty chestnut here, too. And the other stallion was talking to Jacky, who he'd claimed to be. The other one spoke rather cheeily. I gave him a quiet appraisal out of the corner of me eye. Merely another customer to me. Now, my eyes passed over the other stallion's and I recognized the depths of them, but had so far blocked whatever attempts this...thing ravaged by our shared disease...had tried to use to get inside my head and understand me. If there were any at all. Otherwise, maybe I was only superstitious. I couldn't afford to be slack anyway.

The gray gentleman stood quietly next to me again. He had left the shop door just after me, walked up next to me and stood there. He looked from one to the next hrse. His eyes passed blankly through them all; he was only copying me. And then...and then he started to sing. A soft chant, but his speech sounded like three men speaking together at once and they filled up my head. ""Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd, he stated, matter-of-factly, "His skin was pale and his eye was odd." I started to roll my eyes, and instead tried to scowl, but stopped that as well. That would look bad to customers. I spoke in a calm voice, letting my words istract me as the gentleman rattled on. "I've never seen any of you here before, but that isn't really a surprise, is it? You all look off, can I offer the gentlemen a shave? No doubt you've read my sign..."

NOTES - ohh my gawshh...
MUSE - quite splendid
WORDS - 1,814

[.๑whovian๑.]

Serena was rather impressed, but she was determined to give absolutely no impression that she was. This horse had an amazingly large ego, that much she was sure of. She eyed him, a grin on her face, taking in the foxy beast's body...did that really just go through her head. He walked over to them, positively beaming. Serena blinked. Was he even real? He seemed far to godly to be real....wait a second, there were gods around here, was he a god? What would he be the god of? Many ideas about this popped into Serena's head, but she shook herself mentally. She had to get a grip. The Doctor was eying the stallion like he wasn't supposed to be there, like he knew him or was out of place....oh, it didn't make sense anyways. Serena was trying to teach herself never to try and figure out what the Doctor's expressions meant.

"You are so right, though you're not the only one," the stallion said slyly, walking briskly up to them, he stopped a few feet away, and his eyes flickered from the Doctor, to Serena, to Ali, and back to Serena again. "Name's Captain Jack Harkness, and who might you all be?"

Before Serena could answer, there was a funny choking sound from next to her, and she looked around to see that the Doctor was staring at Jack with his mouth wide open. Jack didn't seem to notice. "Come again?" the Doctor said weakly. That Jack DID notice. He looked around at the Doctor, the grin still plastered to his face, but mild curiosity lingering as well.

"Not often I have to repeat it, but it rolls off so nice, I suppose I don't mind. That's Captain Jack Harkness...but call me Jack," the tall dark stallion repeated. The Doctor grinned.
"Hello," he said cheerfully. "I'm the Doctor." Jack stared at him for a moment. He looked the Doctor over very thoroughly, like he was trying to look through him, and then it ended.
"The Doctor," he repeated, and chuckled, then his gaze drifted to Ali and Serena.
"And what about you two lovely ladies?" he asked.
"Serena," Serena said quietly.

The beast approaches.

"Ah! Telepathy, always liked a telepathic, really helps the mood, if you know what I mean," Jack said with a laugh, and he turned his attention to Polaris.

Mmm....delicious, and what might your name be my fine fine fellow?

Do not play games.

I'm not playing games handsome, you're looking mighty fine for three hundred.

How do you know that?

I'm kinda psychic.

Polaris.

Ah, the north star. You could light up my evening.

"That's enough of the telepathy Jack!" the Doctor said loudly. Jack looked up, unconcerned.

"I think I just lost my appetite," Serena said softly. Jack rolled his eyes.

-----

The beast approaches.

"Yes, Polaris, who is this..." but the Doctor trailed off as the sight approached, and his eyes found the sign next to the building they had walked up to as they had made their way through the town. Barber. The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks, and Serena watched as he stared at the empty doorway.

Sniff.

Sniff.

"No...."
"Doctor what is it?" Serena asked hurriedly.
"No way..."
"What is it?!"
"Shhhh...."

Creak.

Creak.

Creak.

And then Serena saw him, and her heart stopped. Well, maybe it didn't stop, but it certainly skipped a beat...or two....or three. He was a fairly tall looking creature, and fairly horrific. His appearance was hard to describe, but there were a few definite things that Serena was able to conclude in the seconds that followed, and her little list she came up with looked something like this:
1. He was a barber. Whatever that was.
2. He was black and white but not exactly a paint.
3. There was blood on him.
4. He was obviously a murderer.
5. He looked rather mad.
6. Serena wanted to run away the second she saw him, but because nobody else was she concluded that that would look rather silly.

The creature spoke, and Serena was well aware that this was the Beast that Polaris was talking about. She stared at him, transfixed as he spoke in a soft, terrifying voice, and she tried not to panic.
"Hello!" she squeaked without thinking. Then, she looked at the Doctor, and found herself rather shocked. He was smiling.

"Oh wow," he said to himself. "wow...that is....wow, that is incredible, how are they...or how is this happening? Somebody doing this...oh wow!" he was babbling away to himself, and the only reason Serena could hear him was because she was standing right next to him. The so called "Barber" said in an almost welcoming voice that he had never seen any of them before. Also, he welcomed them to Fleet Street. So, this place had a proper name, did it? Well...maybe not proper...but a name.

"Fleet Street!" the Doctor said jovially. "Ah...yes, well, no, I don't really fancy a shave, but thank you very much for the offer."

"Ah! Toddy boy! Good of you to join us!" Jack said cheerfully. "If you didn't slit my throat every time, I'd fancy a shave. O'l Toddy gives right nice shaves, even if they are a bit close," the lanky stallion chuckled at his own joke.

"Mmmm, but Jacky boy, you'd be ever so tasty baked into a pie!" came a shriek from above."

Serena, the Doctor, and Jack all looked up at the same exact moment, and to Serena's horror, she saw a horse (a chestnut mare) standing on the rooftop. She looked rather insane, but not terrifying. Her eyes flickered fearfully to the Barber, wondering if he knew this mare who was perched on top of his barber shop.

"Twas brillig and the slithey toves
did gyre and gimble in the wabe,
all mimsy were the borogoves,
and the mome wraths outgrabe!"

However, her exuberance proved to be too much for her legs. She slipped, and suddenly was tumbling down the roof. Serena gasped. She was going to fall! Wait, that was okay, she was cursed....but Jack wasn't! She didn't know why, but she just knew he wasn't Cursed. He was too bright, too....well, not normal, but he seemed so alive. And that mare was going to land on him!

"Jack look out!" she cried, but she was too late. His attention had fallen back on Ali, and he looked up just as the mare flew off the roof. She saw his muscles tense as he made to get out of the way, but it was no use; the mare fell two stories, and with a cry from Jack, she landed on top of him, and there was a sickening crunch as she did so. Serena stared, horrified as the mare struggled to de-tangle herself from the many limbs. Jack did not move. "What on earth! You stupid mare!" Serena shrieked as she rushed to Jack's side.

As she leaned over him, she noticed the glazed expression on his face, and realized that he was dead. Gone. She staggered back a few steps, looking at the mare in horror. She seemed mildly stunned.

"Jacky! I'm sorry Jacky!" she whined softly. Serena glared at her.
"God...the poor guy," Serena whimpered softly.

Suddenly, as if he had nearly just drowned, the fallen black stallion drew in a mighty breath of air, and sat up, panting slightly. He cleared his throat.
"As much as I love an entry, Fly my dear, I could have done without the broken neck." he said with a smile. Serena stared at him.

"I get it," the Doctor said with a smile. He looked over at Ali, who had probably (if she wasn't suffering from a mental meltdown because of Sweeny Todd) already figured it out. "You, Jacky boy are the puzzle, our friend Sweeny Todd over here is the beast, and I would say that little miss Carroll over here is the maniac." he looked rather smug, and Serena shook her head in disbelief. He grinned at her. "I figured it out."

"I don't get you," Serena said, shaking her head.
"You're not the first," the Doctor said with a shrug.
"There's this Demon Beast Barber standing in front of us wanting to slit your throat, a mare falls out of a sky singing a poem, a guy just died and came back to life flirting, and you're figuring out Polaris's riddle and just BEAMING away like this is everyday life for you?!"

There was a momentary pause. The Doctor frowned thoughtfully.

"Yep. That pretty much sums me up,"
"You are impossible."
The Doctor clucked at her with a little wink. Mr. Cheeky he was. Damn that stallion.

"So, Mr. Todd, to put your mind at rest, I will not, most unfortunately be joining you in the Barber shop, but I must say, I do like the colors you chose. Could do without the blood. Anyways, I think you'll find that you are no longer trapped withing these borders. You are free to wander the world as you please, and...well, I know I would be happy to have you and your...ah, companions join us on our weary travels."

"Blah blah blah, you're all talk you are mister," came the other mare's voice.
"It's what I'm good at," the Doctor said defensively. "Also, you haven't seen a little blue box by chance?"
"No, I haven't mister. But I like blue boxes."
"Can't say I have Doctor, but I wouldn't mind the company, if you don't mind me tagging along, especially such handsome company."
"Down boy."

Serena shook her head a little, but she couldn't help it. Despite the situation, she smiled.

Run.

Her smile faded. For a moment, she and the Doctor were the only ones who seemed to notice, but she couldn't be sure. Polaris was standing next to them, and she noticed his coat seemed better. He did not look so rotten anymore. In fact, he almost looked...handsome. And worried.

"What was that?" the Doctor said quietly.

Run. Run. It is coming. They are coming.

The frantic terror in her head made Serena feel cold with dread. She swallowed. "What is it?" she whispered.

Polaris, my man, what are you talking about?

Jack was speaking now. He was rather good at the telepathy thing.

RUN. They come with their terrible minds, their bodies of blackened iron, they come to kill. RUN!



words; 1781
muse; O.o it actually ran away.
notes; WOW. that went crazy.....omg.....<3 if you don't like the thing at the end, I can change it. Anybody (except Serena) whose words are in italics but not parentheses is communicating telepathically.