Chapter title: A Most Hospitable People

Author's note: Hello and welcome to my very first venture into the Whovian fandom! This is all started as a simple plot bunny, where I thought it might just scrape up to two chapters but then I started writing and suddenly a whole story came popping out! Mind you, it might still be simple but I had some fun writing it! Most of the names, locations and everything else in this story are purely made up as I don't think any Whovian lore actually exists about any of it ... Or probably it does and I've just missed it! So just to be safe I'm gonna say here and now that any similarities to anything you might have seen/read/heard before occurring within this story are purely coincidental!

This story contains the 11th Doctor as that is the face that appeared when I pictured this in my mind and I absolutely loved his quick jabs and found them incredibly amusing to try and recreate. And also, the fabulous Ponds! But I have loved every Doctor in the New Who so far and I am completely excited for the new female Doctor! So this is written as my Doctor Who withdrawals are only getting worse and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

EXTRA NOTE: I think I accidently uploaded the wrong file the first time around ... I noticed a sizeable piece of the first chapter seemed to be missing. So I'm just gonna try again!

Anyways, in case you are in fact reading this, I will once again state:

GERONIMO!

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Doctor Who and any of its characters, places and so on and so forth. This is written purely for cheap entertainment purposes.

The gentle whooshing of the TARDIS core going up and down filled the time machine as she swirled through the time stream. Amy felt the excitement inside of her chest that always appeared whenever she heard that sound.

It meant going somewhere. It signified another grand fairytale with her boys. Another place in the whole wide Universe to see with her Raggedy Doctor and her Centurion, the one who would wait 2000 years just to go on another adventure with her. Amy smiled proudly down at the two most important men in her life as they skirted about the controls in the bridge of the TARDIS. Or the Doctor was skirting about. Rory was practically only moving when the Time Lord came floundering through and he wanted to avoid an arm in the face. By now they had travelled together long enough for both of the companions to know the Doctor's movements and routines, which meant it almost looked like a well-rehearsed dance whenever Rory moved out of the way as the Doctor rambled on, all the while pulling and pushing various buttons and controls.

"Turbocressilon-P863!" the Doctor yelled excitedly while pulling down a lever vigorously and the TARDIS hummed and bopped underneath his touch.

"Turbo-what-now?" Rory asked incredulously. Both Amy and Rory still believed the Doctor was pulling their tail with some of the planet names. A lot of them seemed so ludicrous and made-up it was impossible to believe. But so far, every name turned out to be true, as ridiculous as that might be.

"Turbocressilon-P863!" the Doctor said, just as rapidly as before.

Amy scoffed. So doing that on purpose, aren't you?

The Time Lord continued on, undeterred. "Wonderful planet! The water turns purple in sunlight and the grass turns blue! Although the sky remains completely the same as does the trees, which I never quite did figure out how. Quite a mystery, really. The last time I was there it did end rather abrupt and unfortunate so I didn't have the time to run any tests. Perhaps this time I could …"

"Doctor, you're rambling again," Amy interrupted plainly and crossed her arms.

"Ah, yes, thank you, Amy!" the Doctor said. He twisted and spun on his heel as he pushed an orange button up. "Onto my point! What was my point again? Ah, yes! The Parivians who inhabit this planet! Very friendly… Well, except on Reaping Festival but that's years away. Unless we passed the Centurion Moons on the way in which case it might be two minutes away or it could be months, but that is always the exciting part, isn't it?"

While the Doctor rambled he parked the TARDIS and both humans knew they had arrived on the planet Turbocressilon-P863. The Doctor stopped in front of the doors and turned to his companions, a childish, excited smirk on his lips. He looked like he always did before they went on a new adventure: like a young child on Christmas Eve.

"Shall we get going then?"

Bright light from a sun shone into Amy's eyes the minute she stepped outside the TARDIS.

Pleasant, calm silence filled her ears (highly uncommon when travelling with the Doctor) and she blinked expectedly, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the light. From the descriptions the Doctor had been enthusiastically rambling she expected no less than wonder. Perhaps she might have gotten high standards from the travels she'd already done but so far she had not been let down. However things had a habit of not being what they seemed on the surface, which was why Amy tried to remain uplifted when she was met with a rather disappointing sight.

She had expected grand and beautiful nature but what she got was … dull.

The earth they stood on and where the TARDIS had landed was sodden and light brown. Like it had been burned not too long ago. It was flat and open although it looked like trees and bushes might have existed here at some point. The earth itself seemed dry and dusty like everything precious and clean had been sucked out of it. In the far distance colors seemed to lurk but it was so far off, Amy was certain it was only her wishful thinking. At least the sky still maintained some color. It was a light bluish hue with almost-neon orange, fluffy clouds circling about in the flimsy breeze. Although the sun was shining brightly, the day seemed to be edging closer to the night.

Amy looked around and concluded the same, dull brownness seemed to stretch on in all directions. Her eyes met her husband's a few steps away and found that he shared her exact thinking.

"Doctor … Are you sure we're in the right spot?"

The Doctor looked up from where he had crouched down to examine the dust. He had a puzzled look on his face. His expectations clearly hadn't been met either.

"Am I sure we're in the right spot? Yes, of course I'm sure!" the Doctor muttered, exasperated. Then he rapidly collected a handful of dirt, put it to his mouth and licked it. He made a face. "Okay, now I'm sure. We're definitely on Turbocressilon-P863."

"Then where has the plants and water gone?" Rory voiced.

The Doctor rose to his feet and twirled around in circles in the barren, dusty field while holding out his sonic screwdriver. It whirled with sound as it scanned the area. He looked at it when he was done, eyebrows frowning as he read the data.

"It's like the molecules of the forests just evaporated. Or was sucked out." He clicked the screwdriver closed and looked around, frowning.

"How is that possible?" Amy asked.

"Oh, many options; Animatrics, the Circulettes, Genodrian winds …"

"Wind?" Rory asked, ambiguous.

"Genodrian wind. Do try to keep up, Rory," the Doctor hastily muttered and then carried on like he hadn't been interrupted. "But none of those exist in this part of the Universe and to do it in such a scale! So I don't know. It shouldn't be possible at all."

He turned towards his companions, a joyful grin on his face.

"I have no idea. Isn't it wonderful?" he said cheerily. The Doctor glanced around again and made for a seemingly random direction. It was clear to both Amy and Rory that this latest development no doubt excited the Time Lord to no end, his mental gears already turning and clicking. Nothing would stop him in search of answers and the adventures they would hold.

His long legs quickly carried him off towards an unknown direction.

And the Ponds happily followed.

They walked for about an hour, with dust clinging to their shoes, before they exited the barren patch of soil.

During that time the Doctor had taken routinely scans of the area with the sonic screwdriver while he came up with and discarded about twenty different reasons of the cause. The only fact he didn't waver on was that the pattern seemed to be completely round. How he reached that conclusion, Amy wasn't entirely sure. But then again, she did tend to zone him out when he started conversing with himself so she might have missed it.

But they had watched as the tree line first appeared in the distance and then rapidly grew closer the further they came. Eventually the dusty soil underneath their feet made the sudden change to damp and firm. Large trees with thick trunks and full luscious crowns shot up from the rich earth. While they maintained the normal brown and green colour Amy recognized from Earth it seemed like nature's palette here was much more refined and the colours seemed clearer and brighter, much more beautiful.

"Now, that's more like it!" The Doctor had exclaimed as they walked on and more nature began appearing. They came across a small pond and true enough the water held the distinct colour purple and the grass was blowing blue in the meagre breeze. It looked stunning.

They continued their walk for another hour and a half where Amy thoroughly enjoyed the wondrous views they came across. Slowly the light was ebbing as the sun began to set. It cast warm orange light around and the shadows grew longer and longer.

Eventually they came closer to the planet centre where the planet natives resided, as the Doctor explained. Up ahead building outlines took shape. Not tall, shiny ones like in major Earth cities. Even from a distance they looked dusty and ragged. By now Amy's legs felt worn and she was both thirsty and hungry. One look at her husband and she knew he felt the same way. The Doctor however looked like he could carry on for another four-five hours, bouncing forward and full of energy.

"Ah, Parivia. It's the only inhabited spot on the entire planet. The Parivians never were a large people and they haven't spread much. Or far. Quite content to stay in their small patch of land, letting nature take care of its own. Not like you humans ... always spreading and treading, always seeking new places to explore," the Doctor marvelled, seeming lost in his own words.

"As long as they have food there, I don't much care where they go," Amy muttered, but loud enough for her words to reach the Doctor.

"It's always food with you, isn't it? But I have no doubt they will gladly give you something to eat. Remember to try the Kishnash! Absolutely heaven, I tell you!" The Doctor said and squinted as distorted figures seemed draw nearer in the waning light. "And here, it seems, comes the welcome committee. They really are a nice people!"

"Uh, Doctor," Rory hesitantly said. "I don't think normal welcome committees carry weapons. Or look that angry."

The figures had come closer and it was now possible to make their features. Six natives approached cautiously, all covered in khaki-coloured light clothing that flowed in the wind at their booted feet. Their skin was orange, but not the sharp neon colour of the clouds that dotted the sky. No, this was paler and calmer. Their orange complexion almost blended in with the fading sunlight shining on their faces, making it difficult to spot the carved lines that seemed to flow and curl beautifully on their face. It almost looked like old, long-healed wounds they had grotesquely cut onto themselves. And yet there was something so natural and gentle about them that looked like a part that belonged to them. When Amy looked at their arms, she could spot the same intricate markings trailing up and down, no doubt racing around on their entire bodies. Their shining blue eyes stood in stark contrast to the warm, golden light around them so they were easy to see. And they were practically swimming with fear and apprehension.

In their hands they held what could only be weapons. They looked like some form of blasters. God knew Amy had come face-to-face with plenty of them by now to identify one. They all pointed their barrels at the three newcomers, who had raised their hands in surrender.

"Not a welcoming committee then," the Doctor muttered as he stuck his hands in the air.

"Don't move!" one of the armed Parivians ordered. His tone was level and firm. He was wide around his shoulders and seemed to shine with authority. As he took two steps towards them the rest of the Parivians moved in synchrony with him. He was clearly the one in command here.

"State your name and business here," he commanded.

The Doctor was unsurprisingly the first one to speak, seemingly undeterred by the weapon pointed in his face and the stern look of the armed Parivian in front of him. His voice was all happy like it usually was. Completely inappropriate for the situation. "I'm the Doctor! These are my friends, Amy and Rory. Say hello, Amy and Rory!"

"Hi."

"Hey."

"Well, don't choke on all the enthusiasm, Ponds," The Doctor muttered disappointedly without turning in their direction.

"The doctor? Doctor who?" the Parivian suspiciously asked.

"Just the Doctor," the Time Lord calmly answered.

"Doctor who?" the man before them demanded again. His finger tightened around the trigger of his weapon and his whole body stood rigid and alert. "State your full name and intentions, Doctor!"

"You wouldn't survive hearing my full name," the Doctor genuinely stated, his eyes serious.

"I've heard enough. Bring them in!" the Parivian sternly replied. It wasn't directed at the strangers in front of him but rather at the guards at his back.

Like synchronised waves the armed Parivians moved backwards as one of them took out a silver spherical device and tossed it to the ground. It rolled and landed neatly right in between the Doctor and his companions.

The Doctor opened his mouth, a warning just about to escape his lips but that was all he managed to do. The sphere beeped once as an electrical blue colour lit up the circular patterns on its surface. Then it discharged. Both Time Lord and humans were sent flying through the air. Amy felt the energy of the metal ball rush towards her and tear her off her feet. She hit the ground hard when she landed. She felt herself roll onto her back as she came to a stop. Her head was ringing and her body suddenly ached with a heaviness that seemed to spread out to her limbs.

Before she lost consciousness she saw Rory and the Doctor fly in opposite directions in much the same way she did and then slam into the dirt. None of them moved a muscle as they landed.

And then the darkness came and swept her away too.

TBC