I always forget to put an author's note at the top of my stories, so this time I am forcing myself to remember. :) I'd like to thank anyone and everyone who reads my stories and give a double "thanks thanks" to those who take the time to review. This story is for you Dead Composer, proving that I can in fact write more than one genre but I happen to have a favorite, just like you like writing twisted Arthur stories…
Oh, and because it's the "cool thing to do"…Disclaimer: I don't own it, I'll never be able to afford it, but I can certainly take time to twist it to my liking through fanfic and ain't nobody gonna stop me.
"Oi! Martian Boy, what's the big idea?" Donna Noble called to the Time Lord who was practically skipping ahead of her on their way to the giant building looming in the distance. It was like a kaleidoscope of color, shimmering in the noon day…moons? And there seemed to be thousands of notes floating out from it, some of the harmonies not as consonant as she would have liked. It was like complete chaos, and reminded her vaguely of the life she'd started to lead. She looked away from the gaily colored building and the overly excited Time Lord and down to her brand new shoes, which were now caked into the mud she was very slowly sinking in to.
"What's with the muck?" she asked when he turned around to face her, dancing in place.
"It's not "muck", Donna. It's "Myuck". It's a living organism; every planet has it only it's not always this active. It's really quite friendly, that's why it's "sucking" you in while you just stand there like that," the Doctor said grinning and motioning to her feet that were now completely encased in the substance—all the while still dancing.
"Yeah but why do we have to do THAT? Gonna frighten it away with your white boy dance moves?" she snapped as she mimicked the Doctor by pointing to his own feet.
"Hey! I learned this move at Abraham Lincoln's inauguration party. You should have seen all 6'4" of him doing it. Come to think of it, he let me wear his hat. Wonderful hat. Found a rabbit in it once. Everyone thought that was a right good trick. Course there was no trick, I didn't put the rabbit there, actually I'm not sure how it got there, or that it was even a rabbit. Rabbits don't usually sing Madonna songs and certainly not in 1800's America…" the Doctor said trailing off. He had stopped his dance to think about what the furry creature had actually been and was now slowly sinking. He shouted when he realized what he'd done and resumed his dance, quickly escaping the Myuck.
"Lovely story, Doctor really, but that doesn't explain why you're dancing and why I am now several inches deeper in this...this…stuff," Donna huffed, becoming exasperated.
"Oh, right! Well you see, Donna, they are friendly little buggers, yeah, but they really can't stand it when you tickle them. And dancing about on top of them like this? Well it tickles them worse than a feather to the nose. They like to touch as little as possible of the source of the ticking. And personally, I suggest you start tickling," the Doctor answered and nodded towards her legs, which had now sunk to mid-shin. Donna quickly obeyed and began shimmying about inside the Myuck, and could feel the organism pressing against the bottoms of her feet to escape the sensation. In no time she was free.
"Why doesn't that building there sink?" Donna asked Cha-Cha-Cha-ing up to the Doctor.
"Really, Donna, you can pick a better dance. One that doesn't involve so many steps back," the Doctor said in reference to Donna's Cha-Cha-Cha. He was doing something that resembled the hokey pokey so Donna just rolled her eyes at him and motioned for him to continue his explanation.
"The building doesn't sink because it's dancing," he finally answered.
"Dancing?..."
Donna gazed at brightly beaming singing building and realized that it seemed to be vibrating as well.
"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle…What is this place anyway?" Donna asked, turning back to the doctor, who was now doing the electric slide. Donna had settled on just jogging in place.
"Trust me you don't want to be a monkey's uncle-- especially not a monkey from this planet. They are generally used a distraction during set changes and I tell ya they can just ramble on about absolutely everything and never stop. They've got a story for everything. I actually met one once that had relocated to a planet called Story. Not because of books or tales or something mind you but because it was extremely tall and skinny. Like a story in a building. Not the monkey, the planet. Anyway they would just talk and talk. Not sure how anyone can stand it actually," he replied.
"You don't say? Talk and talk and never really get to the point. Huh. Never met anyone like that," Donna rolled her eyes again. She was certain her eyes would get stuck in the back of her head with how often she had to roll them around this man.
The Doctor gave her a look that suggested he was confused by her ornery behaviour.
"Wait, did you ask a question, Donna?" he inquired.
"Me? Donna Noble, ask a question? Never," she replied sarcastically and quite out of breath from all of the exercise.
"Huh. Anyway. Donna Noble, this building you see before you? This is the Intergalactic Ringling Bros. Circus. The Greatest Show On Earths. They pluralized you know. To make more sense once they expanded to other planets. Doesn't really make sense grammatically, but it's still catchy. They put it here because they thought it was a pleasant thought that the ground under them was constantly squirming with laughter."
"You brought me to the Circus? What am I? Five?" Donna scoffed.
"Ah, but Donna this is the Circus in the year 4067. That's a good thirty years after the Circus became illegal."
"Too hard to keep a handle on creepy carnival workers, eh?" Donna quipped, "But why exactly does that matter?"
"Because, Donna. This building is still operating. What kind of building operates on it's own with no one inside on an abandoned planet?"
"I-I don't know?" Donna looked at him through narrowed eyes, unsure whether that was the answer he was looking for.
"Exactly! I don't know! Time to find out!" he said, quickly placing her hands onto his shoulders and leading her in the bunny hop towards the now foreboding building.