A/N: I'm having too much fun writing this story xD Thanks again ScreamsOnScreen for letting me use this idea you awesome armadillo you :D And thanks everyone for your reviews :D

Chapter Three

Neigh Bother

The Doctor strode along the narrow dirt track that had led out of the town and into the forest. He was smiling, looking as though he was off to pursue a cute fluffy bunny than a giant screaming dragon. Ashley walked alongside him, not fairing well in the chilly weather and begrudging the fact that she had actually followed him. She tucked her mitten-clad hands under her armpits and shuddered.

'I could have stayed in the TARDIS you know,' she grumbled. 'With a nice hot cup of tea.'

'You can go back if you like,' the Doctor replied cheerfully. 'I think I'll be able to find it on my own. I mean, how hard can it be to find a giant dragon?'

Ashley frowned at him, unable to stop her jaw chattering a little. 'It's a frigging dragon, Doctor.' She reminded him. 'Huge, giant, big-toothed, fire breathing dragon. It'll eat us. Or smoosh us.'

The Doctor chuckled. 'Smoosh. I like that.'

'What the hell are we going to do when we find it anyway? I don't mean to disappoint but I happened to leave my portable knight back in the TARDIS.' She stumbled over a thick twig and the Doctor caught her before she lost balance. 'And I don't like hiking through forests.' She added grumpily.

'Oh moan, moan, moan,' The Doctor sighed impatiently. 'That's all you do! I bring you to a fantasy fairytale land and you just keep on moaning. Can't you just for once take a five-minute moaning time out? We just saw a dragon! Aren't you the least bit curious to why it's flying around over the town?'

Ashley pouted. 'I suppose…'

'Well wind your neck in please.' The Doctor told her as he began walking again. 'Or I might just see about getting one of those self locking towers to stick you in.'

Ashley jogged to catch up with him. 'I just don't agree with cold weather.' She told him. 'It gets in my head and makes me grouchy. It's like… that winter blues thing. Sorry, but I can't really control it.'

'It's all right then I suppose.' The Doctor sighed. 'You're only human.'

'Don't start that again.'

He shot her a cheeky grin and she had to smile back. He took her hand and to her surprise she felt the warmth of his hand through her mitten. All he had on was that trench coat and he was warmer than her.

'How are you so warm?' she demanded. 'I'm the one with the fire conjuring capabilities! I should be the warm one.'

The Doctor shrugged. 'That would probably be the reason you're feeling the cold more to be honest.' He told her. 'Your body is used to warmer environments, so chuck you in a chilly one and you freeze up quicker than Frosty the snowman.'

Ashley frowned. 'That would be bloody right, wouldn't it?'

'Ah, ah!' the Doctor waved his finger at her. 'What did I say about moaning? You're on a moaning time out, remember?'

Ashley rolled her eyes. 'Okay, dad.'

'And don't call me dad,' he winced. 'That's the third time you've done that and it's just weird.'

Ashley sniggered and was about to proceed in teasing him, when the sound of footsteps prevented her. The two of them stopped and listened. It was more than one person walking. Probably two.

'Wonder who would be out here?' the Doctor mused.

'Probably the big bad wolf.' Ashley cocked a lazy eyebrow.

The Doctor shot her a warning look. 'I wouldn't joke about him.'

She looked at him curiously, and it was then the owner of the footsteps emerged from the forest. The Doctor and Ashley were surprised to discover that it was a horse. A handsome white horse with light grey spots down its back and a stunning white mane. It stopped in the middle of the path and looked at them. It was geared up with riding gear – a saddle and reins – but there was no rider. The two travellers stared at the creature and the creature stared back.

'What the heck are you two staring at?' the horse demanded angrily. 'Do I have a feedbag stuck on my face or something?'

The Doctor and Ashley's eyebrows shot up and their mouths dropped open. The horse trotted around in a little circle, watching them in annoyance. It was peculiar to see such an emotion on a horses face – well, it would be strange to see any emotion on a horses face – but this one definitely looked annoyed.

'Are you both thick or something?' It whinnied, shaking its mane.

The Doctor managed to pull himself out of his daze, but Ashley just stared with bulging eyes. 'Hello,' the Doctor beamed, waving one hand. 'I'm the Doctor, and this is my friend Ashley. Sorry about the staring, we're just-'

'Tourists.' The horse finished in despair. 'I should have known. No one around here dresses like that.' It gestured towards Ashley and whinnied again. She only blinked at it. 'Well I hate to disappoint,' the horse went on. 'But tourist season has been cancelled this year. Seeing as you're both so good at staring, you probably already noticed that.'

'Well yes, we did actually.' The Doctor nodded, slightly bewildered by the horse's rudeness. 'We also nodding that great whopping dragon in the sky. We were wondering if you know if it's got anything to do with everyone going missing?'

The horse glanced away uninterestedly. 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'Great big dragon.' The Doctor said, despite the fact he already knew the horse was lying. 'Scaly. Long tail. Big wings. Roars pretty loudly. Flew overhead about ten minutes ago…'

'Alright, alright,' the horse grumbled. 'Yeah I saw it. Of course I saw it. You'd have to be an idiot to miss that stupid thing.'

'Does it have something to do with your missing rider too?' the Doctor enquired.

Ashley managed to shake the mind-numbing shock of seeing a talking horse and briefly looked to the Doctor. 'It's a talking horse.' She whispered.

He looked at her blankly, and then just ignored her completely. 'I'm sorry about her.' He said to the horse.

'No worries.' The horse replied. 'I'm used to ignorant tourists.'

Ashley shot it an offended look but it ignored her and sat down.

'Well…' it sighed heavily. 'Yes and no.'

'Mostly yes?' the Doctor asked.

The horse cocked its head in a shrugging fashion. 'Yeah. My rider is Prince Karl.'

'Prince Karl?' Ashley snorted. 'That's not much of a Prince-y name, is it?'

'Sshh,' the Doctor told her with a slight frown.

The horse sighed heavily. 'We were recruited to go up to the castle. We got there and he was doing his big old gallant, I'm going to save the day speech, which by the way was written by me but he never gives me any credit for it… Anyway, we got there and he was ready to fight through the thorns and then all of a sudden this great big stinking dragon comes out of nowhere. Now I've been on plenty of dangerous quests in my time, but I draw the line at dragons. They're big and smelly and they stink. And they're rude.'

'You left him behind,' the Doctor nodded. 'When the dragon came.'

'Of course I did!' the horse snorted, standing up and trotting backwards and forwards. 'The man has a death wish, I swear! He didn't even care when I ran off. He was shouting for the dragon to 'come and have a go'. Safe to say it wasn't long before I heard him screaming.'

'You just left him to die?' Ashley asked with a frown. 'Well that's noble.'

'Oh it all comes down to nobility, doesn't it?' the horse grumbled. 'Well I'm sorry if I don't want to get killed. Prince Karl was a thicko anyway. Don't know why he thought he could beat that thing. Seriously his ego is so big that when it steps in the scales it says 'to be continued'.'

Ashley belted out laughter, but the Doctor and the horse only looked at her in confusion. She covered her mouth and sniggered into her mitten, trying to regain a serious expression.

'You said you went to a castle.' The Doctor said. 'Which castle?'

The horse rolled its eyes. 'How would I know? I didn't know anything about the quest. I'm just the stupid steed. Meant to look pretty and make him look better. I have to admit I did that job very well, but I'm not as thick as some as the other hero-horses. I'm not going to blindly run to my death at the promise of a juicy carrot or a couple of sugar cubes.'

The Doctor frowned slightly. 'You have no idea which castle then?'

The horse shook its head. 'Dunno what its called, or who lives there. Wasn't really paying attention to be honest. Don't see why I should. Never get any credit.'

'Well could you take us to it?' the Doctor asked.

'No way!' the horse brayed loudly. 'You think I'm going back there? Not flamin' likely.' It turned and began to trot away. 'And I'm not a flamin' tour guide either.'

'Wait!' the Doctor called. 'We just want to-'

'You just want to get your heads examined.' The horse told him. 'Bloody tourists. You're all as thick as pig muck.'

The Doctor and Ashley watched the horse trot away, grumbling bitterly. Then they looked at each other.

'So much for asking for directions.' Ashley shrugged.

The Doctor sucked his teeth thoughtfully. 'Well… I guess we could just head in the direction he came.'

Without waiting for agreement from Ashley, the Doctor headed into the forest where the horse had originally emerged. Ashley frowned deeply.

'But Doctor!' she started.

'Moaning time out!' the Doctor called back with a flick of the wrist. 'You're still on a time out!'

Ashley sighed heavily and then ran after him, becoming more and more convinced that she should have remained in the TARDIS.