As the crowds dispersed, talking animatedly about the unexpected appearance of their goddess, the Doctor had kept staring at the balcony as if expecting the Phoenix to reappear. He even kept staring as he finally stepped down and crossed the square. Amy and Rory exchanged a tentative look as they followed.

But when the Doctor began to climb up the palace column under the balcony, Amy pulled him back to the ground, yelling,

"What are you doing!?"

"It's not possible. It's just not possible!" The Doctor shook his head, staring at the balcony still.

"What's not possible? Doctor?" Amy asked. He finally looked at her.

"A Time Lord. Time Lords can sense each other. That...Phoenix person...has the presence of a Time Lord." He said beginning to pace.

"A Time Lord?" Rory asked.

"Or...Time Lady I suppose. But it's not possible! They're all dead! All but me..." He insisted wringing his hands.

"Doctor, isn't it possible that another Time Lord..." Amy began.

"Time Lady." Rory corrected.

"...that a Time Lady escaped the war? You said it happened before yeah?" Amy finished.

"It did. But it didn't end well. And we don't exactly have proof she is a Time Lady." The Doctor shook his head.

"Well from what we know so far, she's two hundred years old." Rory said.

"They could just be using a new girl every few years! One great big scam." The Doctor replied.

"But there is that story about those people dying from a burst of golden light." Amy pointed out.

"After she came back to life." Rory added.

"Which sounds an awful lot like regeneration energy." Amy said.

"Which you yourself have used in the past to destroy whole armies of Daleks." Rory said.

"Okay! Maybe it is possible. Why is she pretending to be a goddess then?" The Doctor said. When his companions failed to answer, he said,

"Okay. That's our next move. We find out what the Phoenix is up to." The Doctor said. He led that way down the street, not seeing the palace servant following them closely.


Two men met in a dark alley, talking in whispers and hushed tones.

"Are you sure this is the only way?" One asked the other.

"We have no choice. If we want to bring Phara out of darkness, we must kill that Imposter in the palace once and for all. And all who stand in our way." The other said.


Amy was starting to worry about the Doctor. Here he was having possibly found another of his kind, someone to prove that he wasn't alone, yet he was acting all Oncoming Storm on them. As if he didn't want to give his hopes up.

Seeing him make a beeline for a vendor selling souvenirs, Amy and Rory followed the Doctor as the proprietor bowed and greeted them,

"May the Living Goddess bless you..."

"Yeah, yeah, long life and all that jazz." The Doctor interrupted him.

"May I interest you and your friends with special anniversary items to commensurate the bicentennial of the Phoenix's arrival? I've got dolls, miniature shrines, a complete guide to all nine of the Goddess' faces. Delightful tales of the Phoenix's adventures in this graphic novel. Trading cards, games..." The Vendor said showing them his wares.

"Wow...Phara pop culture." Amy scoffed picking up a doll. The Doctor picked up the complete guide and began to thumb through it. He saw nine different women with nine different sets of eyes, but he got a hint of the same soul behind those eyes. He closed the book with a shuddering breath.

"How much?" The Doctor asked.

"For the book my friend?" The vendor asked.

"For the lot." The Doctor replied. Amy and Rory's eyes went wide.

"Do you have that much money?" Rory asked.

The Doctor winced.

"Ooh...money. Right...currency...um...how about a trade?" He asked digging his arm down deep in his pocket.

"What do you have to trade?" The vendor asked.

The Doctor pulled out a small velvet pouch and poured a handful of loose diamonds in the man's hands. They all stood shocked as he asked,

"How's that? Is that okay? Too much? Not enough?"

A few minutes later, the Doctor was reading the guidebook, leading the Ponds like ducklings as Amy held the dolls and Rory held, well, everything else.

"So you just randomly carry a bag of jewels in your pockets then?" Amy asked.

"Yup. Comes in handy." The Doctor said.

"Could have been helpful when I was trying to pick out an anniversary present for Amy last year." Rory said struggling to keep a hold of everything.

"Could have been." The Doctor said.

"So...why'd you buy everything with the Phoenix's faces on it?" Amy asked.

"We don't need anyone else buying into the delusion that she is a goddess. Literally." The Doctor said over his shoulder.

"Why aren't you jumping up and down at the thought that there could be another Time Lord?" Amy asked using her long legs to catch up to his stride.

"Because." The Doctor said.

"Because why?" Amy pressed.

"Because I've been down this road before. Twice." The Doctor sighed.

"Oh. Someone pretended to be a Time Lord before?" Amy asked.

"No. He was a Time Lord. My best friend from the Academy in fact." The Doctor said.

"What happened?" Rory asked.

"He became a power mad sociopath that stole the TARDIS to create a paradox machine." The Doctor said.

"And he did this to you twice you said?" Rory asked.

"Weelll the Master and I clashed a few times over the years. But there was also the Rani. A Time Lady mad scientist. Now she was a nightmare and a half." The Doctor explained with an eye roll.

"And that's what you're afraid of. That this Phoenix will be just another psycho like those others bent on destroying the universe." Amy said as they rounded a corner and found the TARDIS where they left her.

"Yup. Been burned before. Never again." The Doctor said digging out his key to his precious time machine upon reaching the doors. They stepped inside, not seeing the servant from the palace watch them disappear inside. After a few minutes, he began to ran back towards the palace.

He ran all the way until he found the High Priest, who was supervising the delivery of the offerings to the temple. He bowed and told his findings to the man in black.

"You're sure?" The High Priest asked.

"Yes Milord. This infidel who calls himself the Doctor. He does not believe in the Goddess. Do you think he's part of the secret resistance who wish to bring back the Dark Arts?" The Servant asked.

"The resistance is an urban myth." The High Priest said.

"He actually dares to claim she is one of his people." The servant reported. The High Priest stood from his chair to pour himself a drink.

"And who are his people?" He asked casually.

"Time Lords. Whoever they are." The servant replied. A glass broke. The servant looked up to see the High Priest shaking, broken glass at his feet.

"Milord?" The servant asked.

"Clean this mess up at once." The High Priest said leaving the room. He past a guard who watched him walk down the hall. Once he was gone, the guard pulled out a communication device from his coat and called someone.

"Yeah it's me. Someone's got the High Priest running scared. Someone called the Doctor. Have a search party look for a blue box." He said quietly before hanging up.