Chapter 2
The position of the body behind the rock told the tale of a terrifying death. Amy covered her mouth with her hands; no matter how many times she saw a dead body, she would never get used to it. The Doctor was already probing it with his sonic screwdriver. After what seemed an eternity, but could only have been a few seconds, Amy forced herself to speak. "Is it dead?"
"No signs of life", replied the Timelord, snapping off his sonic screwdriver and putting it back into his jacket pocket.
The body itself was dressed in blue. It was clearly a creature of the same species as Strock and Flibber-Flabber. It didn't have a beard on its face, however, which Amy believed designated it as a female. She was, of course, no expert. Reading the expression on the creature's face, Amy tried to empathise with its last few moments of life. "She must have been terrified. The Umbra must have come out of nowhere".
Strangely calm and unmoved for such a situation, the Doctor turned to his companion. "Couldn't have been too pleasant".
Ignoring, or perhaps not even noticing her companion's lack of emotion, she thought about their race to the rocks. "Doctor, just before e we got here I could have been sure I saw a creature fly over our heads".
"Yes, I noticed it too. Don't worry, Pond, you weren't hallucinating, it was real".
"Then that must have been the Umbra".
"Possibly".
"What do you mean, 'possibly'?"
"Amy we're on an entirely new planet. Even I haven't been here before. We're just relying on the tales and stories of two people. I suppose it could have been the Umbra, but equally it could have been something entirely different, something that our hosts forgot or didn't bother to mention".
The Doctor's comment reminded Amy of something else. "Strock! He's still out there. Come on, Doctor, he may be in danger!" With that, Amy turned around, and ran as fast as she could, retracing her steps. The Doctor followed her.
It took them a couple of minutes, but they soon caught sight of Strock again. He was limping in the general direction of the rocks. When he saw them coming towards him, he motioned them to run back. "Get back, get back! You're in danger!"
Reaching the creature and taking it by the hand, Amy was frantic. "You don't understand! The Umbra, it got there before us. It's killed someone!"
At the mention of it having killed someone, Strock seemed overcome by a silent panic. His lower lip started to quiver. "Who was the victim?"
Amy paused, but then realised there was no point holding back. "I think it was a female. Dressed in blue".
Strock started to wail. Tears flowed copiously from his eyes, in a strikingly similar way to that of a human crying. "Mrasha, Mrasha! No!"
Amy was almost crying herself. "Strock, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. But we're in danger now, we've got to get you to the rocks".
Despite his reluctance, Amy succeeded in pulling Strock back to where they had found the body. She realised that Strock's species weren't as physically strong as humans. She was also becoming worried, perhaps subliminally, by the Doctor's apparent lack of concern with the whole issue. Normally his emotion was evident, albeit rather professionally controlled, when he saw a dead body. Silently she theorised that he may be getting so used to it that it no longer affected him as it had once done. But why here? Why now?
When the trio rounded the rock where the Doctor and Amy had found Mrasha's body, Amy let out a gasp. The body was no longer there. "But it was here!" she said to Strock. "I promise you it was here".
Strock took a moment to gulp back tears and then explained. "The ground on Pog is unstable. Heavy objects are often swallowed up by the earth beneath them if they stay in the same place too long. Like poor Mrasha". Amy moved her hand to put it on the creature's shoulder, but he knocked it away. "We mustn't stay here! We're still in danger! The Umbra!"
Strock lead the travellers over more rocky ground. The sky above them was still steely grey. Dusk was long on Pog. They'd only been walking for a few minutes from where they had found Mrasha's body, when Amy became aware of a strange sensation; everything around her seemed to be getting bigger. She frantically looked from left to right, and then down, to realise that her feet were sinking into the ground. "Doctor!" she exclaimed. The Timelord's feet had also begun to sink. Looking over at Strock, they found he was safe on a rock. "Oh my!" exclaimed the creature.
Amy began to panic. "Doctor what's happening?"
"Try not to panic, Pond, but we do seem to be sinking into the ground".
"What should we do?"
"Well the general rule with quicksand on earth is the less agitated we get, the slower we sink. Just try not to panic and wade over to the rocks Strock is standing on".
She was pleasantly surprised to find the Doctor's advice working. By the time they reached the rocks, she had only sunk to her knees. Crouching low, Strock grabbed the pair, and pulled them out of the ground. The Doctor landed safely on the rock beside him, but just as her feet were pulled free of the swamp, Amy slipped out of his grasp. She hit the ground with such an impact that she found herself up to her neck in the swamp. "Doctor!" she called.
Immediately the Timelord dropped to the ground and held out his hand. "Take my hand, Amy, quick!"
The girl had only one free hand. She grabbed her companion's outstretched arm, but found it to be so slippery that she immediately fell back into the quagmire. Now the Doctor began to panic, as only his companion's face remained visible above the surface. Angrily he turned to Strock. "If you can help her in any way, I suggest you do it now!"
Straightaway, Strock held out his hand to Amy. She couldn't reach back as she was stuck in the swamp, but then something incredible happened. Strock's arm began to stretch and stretch, growing until it was about five metres in length. It dipped below the surface, and Amy felt it wrapping itself around her body. Then with a heave, the creature lifted Amy above the surface, out of the swamp, and deposited her upon a rock. The Doctor scowled at the alien. "Holding out on us?"
"Not quite. I'm not supposed to do that in public".
"Amy could have died. You should have done that immediately, the minute we started to sink!"
"I'm sorry. I'm just so upset about Mrasha. Not thinking straight".
The Doctor and Amy dried themselves off as best they could and then the trio were on their way again.
They carried on in silence. Amy didn't know what to say, and she didn't know why the Doctor seemed so angry with Strock. She'd seen him in more than his fair share of difficult and terrifying situation, but he'd always managed to retain his composure. He certainly wasn't accustomed to losing his temper at someone who had every reason to be distraught. She was thinking this through, when she suddenly noticed something. "Strock's gone".
The Doctor whirled around. Amy's heart sank. Could they have been so careless that they'd simply lost him? If there hadn't been such an awkward silence they would have probably noticed his disappearance immediately.
The Timelord pulled out his sonic screwdriver.
"Can it find him?" asked Amy.
"Oh yes! Just let me concentrate. I knew this was going to happen".
"You knew? Then why didn't you do anything?"
He snapped off his sonic device and smiled at his companion. "All part of the plan". He then took her hand. "This way!"
The pair continued at a quick pace, over some more rocks, and found themselves in a clearing surrounded by trees; they'd made it back to the forest. It was a large clearing, but Amy noticed something about one hundred yards away among the rocks. Carefully she made her way to it. She was more than slightly surprised that the Doctor didn't pull her back; he casually followed her.
As she got closer to the object, she began to make out its features. Part of it was brown, and part of it light blue. The thought hit her like a freight train. "Flibber-Flabber!"
She ran toward the bright hues in the relative darkness. Sure enough, reaching the body, she found it to be that of the first creature they'd met on this wretched planet. Cradling him in her arms, she began to sob. She then noticed her companion walking towards them, sonic screwdriver buzzing. His calm demeanour remained.
Amy had had enough. "And I suppose this was a part of the plan too?"
"Yes".
Gently lowering Flibber-Flabber's body to the floor as quickly as she could, she ran toward the Doctor and slapped him. Through a tear-choked haze, she blurted out, "you could at least act like you care!"
"About who?" asked the Doctor. Amy span around to where Flibber-Flabber's body had been. It was gone. She turned back to the Timelord, crying more profusely now. "And now he's sunk into the ground where no one will ever see him again!"
It was then that she realised that the sonic screwdriver hadn't stopped buzzing. The Doctor was probing around in the air with it, pointing it first in this direction, then in that.
Amy backed up giving him room to manoeuver; mad with him as sheh was, this was the man who had helped her out of so many impossible situations.
But the Doctor never found what he was looking for. As he was still waving his sonic device around, a black shadow appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and knocked the Timelord to the floor. The buzzing stopped as the sonic screwdriver fell from his grasp.
Amy watched as the creature rose to its full height, menacing the Doctor. It was all black, save its burning red eyes. It wore a black cloak, and it was dressed in what seemed to be a chain mail of metallic skulls. In a voice that sounded like two slabs of granite grinding against each other, it uttered, "I am the Umbra".
Its concentration focused solely on the Doctor, Amy grabbed a rock and threw it at the creature's back. It screamed and whirled, a reaction that surprised Amy seeing how terrified of it Strock had been.
The Doctor rose to his feet and faced the creature. He had the knowing smile on his face that reminded Amy that, contrary to all appearances, he wasn't the same planet as her, but one far advanced. "Umbra, eh?" he retorted. "Pleased to meet you". Before Amy's terrified eyes, the Umbra picked up the Doctor and threw him on the grass below like an American wrestler.
And then something happened that made Amy think her fellow traveller had lost his mind. He got to his feet, the knowing grin slowly fading from his face, and stood before the creature. He nodded to himself and then softly spoke. "The game's up". At this, the Umbra emitted a high pitched squeal. Now the Timelord shouted. "I told you, Flibber-Flabber, the game's up!"
Flibber-Flabber? Now Amy was perplexed. Why would the Doctor address the Umbra using the name of a friendly alien? A dead friendly alien? Yet something seemed to happen. Before their eyes, the Umbra began to melt. At first Amy thought it was going to sink into the ground, but the melting suddenly seemed to stop about a foot down from what had been the Umbra's full height. A rainbow of multiple hues seemed to exude from the creature, until just one form was left. Flibber-Flabber stood before the Timelord, his head hung low as if ashamed. "I'm sorry, friends", he murmured.
Amy couldn't believe what she'd just seen. "Explain!" she called.
The other two turned and began to walk toward her. The Doctor spoke as he walked. "Amy, Flibber-Flabber is a shape shifter. He's the only creature we've met since we arrived on Pog".
"It's true", said Flab, "Strock, Mrasha, the Umbra. All me. All Flibber-Flabber".
The Doctor continued, addressing both of them. "I first suspected it when we met Strock when we came out of the forest. He seemed very anxious to help us, a couple of strangers, but he wasn't really bothered about his old friend Flab. That, and the fact that he knew about Scotland and Gallifrey, even though we hadn't said a word about where we were from to him. We'd only given that information to Flibber-Flabber". As the creature nodded, Amy asked another question. "But when we saw Mrasha's body, you said there were no signs of life".
"He's a shape shifter", replied the Doctor. "He can change his body into anything he wants to. Pretending to be dead is child's play for him".
So the shadow we saw flying overhead", continued Amy, determined to work something out on her own, "was Flibber-Flabber getting to the rocks before us so that he could pretend to be Mrasha, killed by the Umbra?"
The Doctor nodded. "Quite the acrobat, our Flab. Far more agile than a human or even a Timelord".
"But what about the swamp? Why did he lead us there?"
"Well he'd just told us that the surface of the planet was unstable. He needed some explanation for the disappearance of Mrasha's body. even Flibber-Flabber can't pretend to be two things at once".
Amy tried to piece the facts together. "So he led us to where we'd sink to make what he said more believable?"
"Exactly", said the Doctor. "Although he tipped his hand, literally, when you almost drowned. We saw beyond any doubt that his body was at least slightly pliable when he did that Stretch Armstrong thing to save you".
"Couldn't let you die", mumbled Flibber-Flabber under his breath.
The Doctor went on. "And then, when we cornered him here, he turned into the Umbra. The terrifying monster we had to fight".
Amy turned to the alien. "But why? How could you put us through all that?"
Flibber-Flabber sank to the ground and sighed. "Loneliness. Planet-hoppers my people are. Never staying in one place too long. Many years ago they left Pog. I fell into deep chasm. I didn't get out in time, got left behind".
"But why not just tell us that?" asked the Scottish girl.
Flab looked at Amy like he was about to burst into hears. "Thought you had come to stay forever. Thought I had new friends for life. But when you said you fought monsters, knew you wouldn't stay on 'nice' planet. Wouldn't stay on Pog".
The Doctor folded his arms. "So he created a story about a monster for us to fight. He wrote a play in his head and he played all the characters".
"So when you confronted the 'Umbra'", asked Amy, "you absolutely knew you were speaking to Flibber-Flabber?"
The Doctor gave her a wry smile. "Either Flibber-Flabber or a more malevolent shapeshifting creature exploiting my vast intellect as a Timelord in an attempt to get me off my guard".
"And you were still prepared to take the risk of walking right up to the monster?"
"Oh you know me, Pond. Ever the optimist".
The creature looked toward the Timelord with fear in its eyes. "What will you do with me?"
They spent the night under the stars and waited for dawn before making the journey back to the TARDIS. During the night and on their trek back, the Doctor managed to convince Flibber-Flabber that he wouldn't "do anything" to him for the trick he had played on them. When he had asked why, the Doctor just said that he was a Timelord and therefore "knew where Flab was coming from". The creature didn't quite seem to understand, but by the time the trio reached the time-ship, a hint of the creature's high spirits of the previous day was beginning to return.
Upon seeing the TARDIS, Flibber-Flabber spoke under his breath. "Your ship".
The Doctor smiled. "It certainly is. The most advanced vehicle in the entire universe. Which reminds me, Flab, I've got some good news and some very good news".
The creature's eyes widened with anticipation as the Doctor explained. "I'm no expert on the comings and goings of your race, but I do know quite a bit about the history of the universe". He looked at his watch. "And I happen to know that in about seven years, four months and twelve days, a group of planet-hopping nomads return to this world they once called home".
Flibber-Flabber grinned like an excited chold. "They return? To Pog? I'll see them again?" But then he lowered his head. "I suppose I can wait seven years".
The Doctor put his hand on Flab's shoulder. "But that's where the very good news comes in. You see, this ship, which is capable of taking you to any planet in the galaxy within eleven minutes, is also a time machine. So get ready for the quickest seven years of your life!"
With that the door swung open and the trio went inside. The glass column on the control panel rose and fell, the usual whooshing was heard, and Amy knew that the TARDIS was fading from view in the Poggian meadow.
After just a few seconds, the whooshing stopped and the ship fell silent. Flibber-Flabber glanced at the Timelord. "We're there?"
"We're then", corrected the Doctor. "Go out and see for yourself".
Flab ran to the doors and opened them. Amy and the Doctor smiled at each other to hear other voices outside, and knew that the Shifter would be grinning from ear to ear. Just before leaving the TARDIS, he turned around to face Amy and the Doctor. "So this is goodbye?"
Amy was about to nod reluctantly when the Doctor surprised her again. He strode over to the doors where Flibber-Flabber was standing. "Oh no! You don't get off that lightly, old pal. We came here to relax, to find somewhere 'nice', and that's just what we intend to do".
Amy followed them over. "Yes, and you said you had some friends you wanted us to meet".
The Doctor nodded. "Quite right, Pond, I'd forgotten about that. And we intend to hold you to your promise".
Flibber-Flabber laughed. He didn't know what to say. His back still ached from where Amy had hit him with a rock, but he didn't care. Despite what had happened he knew he'd made some new friends.