Clara decided she wanted to travel with the Doctor and he was thrilled but first he had to do something before he took her with him; he had to know what she was.
He traveled in time to key moments of her life; her parents meeting, her birth, her childhood even the death of her mother but after all this he kept reaching the same conclusion; Clara Oswald was just a girl but how?
Clara waited excitedly at the foot of the stairs for the Doctor to arrive, holding her special book.
She waited and when she finally heard that whirring sound and the doorbell Clara dashed for the door and into the TARDIS.
The Doctor smiled as Clara looked around. "So I'm actually going thru time?" She said.
He nodded. "Yep." He said popping his P.
"So how does that work? It's got to be made of something like jam being made of strawberries." Clara said.
The Doctor made a face. "Oh I hope not, that'd be awfully sticky the TARDIS never make thru."
Clara smirked and followed him around the console. "Where would you like to go?" He said.
"What are my options?" She asked.
"Well you can go back in time, forward in time, forward or back in space."
Clara looked lost.
"Repeating the question again, where would you like to go?" The Doctor asked.
Clara thought about it for a while.
"Sometime today, please?" He said.
She scowled at him then her eyes brighten. "Take me somewhere awesome!"
The Doctor grinned and started twirling around the console; flipping switches and pulling levers.
The TARDIS landed and the Doctor led Clara out, her eyes were closed and she was eager to open them.
"Do you feel that warmth?" He asked.
She nodded. "What is that?"
"Alien sun."
"I like it." She grinned.
"Open your eyes." The Doctor said.
Clara opened them and gasped. "Wow!"
She marveled at the bits of clay rock orbiting around a huge bright orange sun.
"You like it?" He said.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"We're at the Pyramids of Rings of Akhaten." The Doctor replied.
"Huh?" She said.
"It's a holy site for the Sound Singers of Akhaten. Its seven worlds orbiting under the same star under the same belief that life in the universe originated here." The Doctor explained.
"Is it true?" She asked.
The Doctor shrugged. "It's makes for a nice story and it's what they believe."
"Can we see it up close?" Clara asked.
The Doctor smiled and took her hand. "Come on!"
They ended up in some sort of alien marketplace.
Clara was amazed but nervous at the same time.
"What are these things?" Clara asked.
The Doctor scoffed. "There not things."
She rolled her eyes. "Okay, what do I call them?"
The Doctor started rambling off names too fast for Clara to understand.
"Did you get all that?" The Doctor asked.
"Um, no." She admitted.
He sighed. "Just stick with me."
The Doctor looked around in awe. "Oh, I've forgotten how much I love it here!"
"You've been here before?"
He smiled. "Oh, yes a long time ago with my granddaughter."
Her eyes widen. "Wait a second your what?"
She started following him when she was stopped by a bluish grey alien barking at her.
"Uh, Doctor?" She said nervously.
"What's wrong?"
Clara pointed at the alien. "I think I made it mad."
The Doctor chuckled. "That's not an it; that's a she. That's my old friend Dor'een."
Clara relaxed a bit.
The Doctor smiled. "Dor'een this is Clara. Clara this is Dor'een, a lovely girl."
"Why was she mad?" Clara asked.
"Oh, she wasn't mad. She was trying to sell you a moped." The Doctor replied.
Clara smiled and started barking at Dor'een making her smile.
He said bye to Dor'een and they continued walking.
"So how much does everything cost here?" Clara asked.
"Oh, they don't use paper money here." The Doctor said.
"What do they use?"
"Sentimental items, anything personal. The greater the sentiment the more valuable they consider it." He said.
Clara shook her head. "That's horrible."
He shrugged. "Not to them it's not."
They kept walking.
She paused to look at something when she turned around the Doctor was gone.
"Doctor?" She called.
"Doctor!" She repeated as she started searching for him.
Then she ran into a little blond girl dressed in red robes; she looked almost human.
"Hello?" Clara said.
The frighten little girl ran with two men following her.
Concerned Clara decided to follow as well.
She went inside this tent and looked around.
Clara was startled by a the sound of something dropping; she followed it and ran into the little girl.
They both screamed and breathed heavily then they started chuckling.
"Hi, I'm Clara. Are you alright?" Clara said.
"Why?" She asked.
"Just want to know." Clara replied.
"I'm fine." The girl insisted.
"Well that's good cause I was looking for a girl that look like she could use some help." She said.
"Can you help me?" She asked.
Before Clara could answer three aliens marched by chanting Merry, Merry.
"What do we do?" Merry asked.
She grabbed her hand. "Come with me, I know a place."
They ended up at the TARDIS.
"A blue box?" She said.
"Just trust me." Clara replied pulling the doors.
Then her eyes widen with fear.
"What is it?" Merry asked.
"No key." She said.
They heard footsteps approaching and Clara took Merry behind the TARDIS and hid.
"So since we're trapped you want to tell me what's going on?" Clara asked.
"My name is Merry Galel, I'm the chosen Queen." She said.
"Wow that's impressive!" Clara replied.
"I know every poem, story, legend, chronicle and song. I'm sorry I ran but I'm nervous." Merry admitted.
"Why?" Clara asked.
"I have to sing for the old god." Merry replied.
Clara smiled. "I've been scared before. I got lost when I was little but I stayed brave and then my mum found me and everything was alright again."
"Do you think I'll be okay?" Merry asked.
Clara nodded.
Merry smiled and thanked her before leaving.
Clara watched her leave with two men; she was feeling quite proud of herself.
"Clara, there you are!" The Doctor said.
"Hi where were you?" She asked.
"Oh, here, there, everywhere. What about you?"
Clara smiled. "Oh, I've been exploring."
The Doctor shrugged and took her hand.
"Wait, where are we going?" She said.
They ended up at an auditorium.
"What's this?" She asked.
"This is the performance of newly chosen queen. She'll be performing the long song for the old god or grandfather as he's known."
"What's the long song?" Clara asked.
"Never ending lullaby; generations old." The Doctor said.
The lights dimmed and Merry stepped out to perform her song.
She saw Clara and smiled before singing.
The audience started handing out offerings as she sang her beautiful song.
"What are they doing?" She asked.
"There giving away sentimental valuables as offerings to the old god to feed him and keep his happy. He said.
Merry continued singing her song.
Everything was fine until a light flashed and grabbed Merry.
Merry screamed for help.
"Doctor we have to do something!" Clara said.
The Doctor grabbed her wrist and ran.
"We're not running are we? We can't leave her behind!"
"We're not running away." He said.
He ran up to an alien and barked that he wanted a moped.
The alien barked back and the Doctor frowned.
"What's wrong?" She said.
"We need something sentimental." He replied.
Clara sighed and took off her ring.
"Here it was my mother's." She said.
The Doctor smiled and handed the ring to the alien.
The alien smiled and let them buy the moped.
They got on and drove towards Merry who was being sucked into a giant rock.
The rock prove too much and dragged her inside.
They landed at the rock where the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and lifted the heavy door.
"Go in!" He groaned.
Clara quickly went in and saw Merry standing in front of a glass case with a scary dark grey growling alien.
"Merry!" Clara called.
"Go away!" Merry said frighten.
"Please Merry take my hand!" Clara begged.
"Yes, take her hand because this door is really heavy!" The Doctor grimaced.
"No!" She repeated.
"Please you're in danger!" Clara said.
"Can we hurry this up, please!" He groaned.
Clara went towards the case to try to reach her hand.
Merry frowned and mentally stuck Clara to the case.
She tried to break free but couldn't.
Unable to hold the door the Doctor let go and ended up with them.
"Go away! It wants me!" Merry shouted.
"Did you just?" Clara asked.
"Uh, yeah I did." He said.
Clara rolled her eyes. "Terrific."
He looked at Merry and smiled. "Hello Merry I'm the Doctor and you've already met Clara and this monster must be the waste of time you were singing at."
"Huh?" Merry said.
"This Merry is not a god it's a soul eating vampire. I recognize it just never imagine I see one this up close."
The Doctor put on his glasses and looked closer at it.
The alien pounded on the glass growling.
"Ah, hello there big fellow." He grinned.
"Is there something wrong with you?" Clara said.
The Doctor sniffed. "Well excuse me for being friendly."
Merry was confused. "It's not the old god; it's a fake?"
The Doctor nodded. "Yes and it's a waste of that beautiful voice of yours so why don't you let Clara go and let's get of here."
Merry nodded and let Clara go leaving the monster behind.
They made a run for it when the planet started rumbling; the Doctor had look of fear on his face.
"Oh, no I messed up!" He said.
"What?" Clara exclaimed.
"I know who the old god is." He said.
"Who?" Clara asked.
The Doctor pointed behind them; they looked at an angry giant red-orange rock glaring at them.
"Oh, my stars!" She said.
"I think the creature in there is this thing's personal alarm clock." He said.
"What now!" Merry panicked.
"It needs a memory to feed on." The Doctor said.
The Doctor turned to Clara. "Clara take Merry and get to safety.
"What about you?" She said.
He didn't answer her but his eyes said everything.
"No, I'm not leaving you!" Clara protested.
"Look a child's life is in danger now's not the time to discuss the value of mine. Now move!" He shouted.
Clara looked at him with fear and worry.
He soften his tone. "Just go. I'll be along soon. All I have to do is feed it a memory and everything will be okay."
The planet rumbled more scaring Merry.
She took Merry's hand and reluctantly left the Doctor.
He sighed and went to face "grandfather"
Merry and Clara returned to the auditorium and stared at the angry planet.
"We need to help him!" Merry said.
Clara nodded. "We will."
How?" She asked.
Clara looked at her. "I think you know how."
Merry smiled and started singing the long song.
Soon everyone joined her and sang as loud as they could.
The Doctor stood before the old god and grinned.
"You hear that? Those are the voices of every memory you selfishly feasted on. Why? I don't know cause you're not a god you're a parasite that feasts on the past, present and future! We'll you want a feast? Then take my memories! Feast on every pain, heartache, memory of every person I ever lost that you'll never understand! Feast on things I've seen and things I shouldn't have and things I'm glad I did. Go on! Do It!" He screamed.
The rock quickly took it before the Doctor collapsed on the ground groaning in pain. He looked up and saw Clara standing there.
"Blimey, you never listen do you?" He grumbled.
Clara stood there and swallowed.
She held up the red leaf "I have something. This leaf has a story of love, life and a future! It has every memory you can think of! So take it!" Clara shouted.
Immediately the leaf disintegrated and the planet calmed down again.
The Doctor stood next to her. "Show off." He smirked.
Clara smiled and hugged him.
Later they returned home Clara opened the door and sighed. "Feels different."
"No, it's the same home, same planet and same time. Not bad if I do say so myself." The Doctor grinned.
He noticed Clara looking sad.
"I've got something for you. It's a present from everyone." He said.
The Doctor placed her mother's ring in her hand.
Clara smiled. "Really?"
He nodded.
She smiled and hugged him before leaving.
The Doctor watched her and smiled slightly before closing the door.