Thirty One

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"ARE YOU joking?" All three half-yelled, eyes wide in panick.

"Notice how helpful the Dream Lord was? Okay, there was misinformation,  red herrings, malice, and I could have done without the limerick. But he was always so keen to make us choose between dream and reality"

The Doctor began fiddling with the controls, Pips eyes widening in realization.

"Oh"

The Ponds frowned, not quite understanding what was going on.

"Doctor, the Dream Lord conceded. This isn't a dream"

"Oh, but Rory, Amy, don't you see? Star burning cold. That's impossible. Stars don't burn cold, do they?  The Dream Lord has no real power over the real world. He was offering us a choice between two dreams from the very beginning" Pip half-grinned.

"What makes you think that?" The two Ponds asked. The Doctor also turned around, an eyebrow raised. He didn't expect her to know.

"Because I know who he is. He practically told me"

The Doctor hearts sped up slightly.

It was too late to speak further, however, as seconds later, the Tardis blew up.
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The Ponds and Pip walked into the Tardis. The Doctor was staring at a little speck of golden dust in his hand.

"Er, what's that?" Amy asked, holding Rory's hand.

"A speck of psychic pollen from the candle meadows of Karass don Slava. Must have been hanging around for ages. Fell in the time rotor, heated up and induced a dream state for all of us" he spoke, whilst walking toward the Tardis doors. He opened said doors, and gently blew the speck out of his hands.

"So that was the Dream Lord then, those little specks?"

"No, no, no. Sorry, wasn't it obvious? The Dream Lord was me"

At this Pip quietly celebrated, for she knew. The Dream Lord never outright said it, but she could tell. From the way he dressed the first time he appeared to his own little 'tawdry quirks'. She'd joined the dots together not long after he'd left her alone in the Tardis.

"Physchic pollen. It's a mind parasite. It feeds in everything dark in you, gives it a voice, turns it against you. I'm nine hundred and seven. It had a lot to go on"

"So why didn't it feed on us, too?"

"The darkness in you three, it would have starved to death in an instant. I choose my friends with great care. Otherwise, I'm stuck with my own company, and you know how that goes"

"But those things he said about you. You don't think any of that's true?" Amy asked. Her question was ignored, as the Doctor found himself walking toward Pip.

"What I want to know is, what did he say to you?"

Her pupils darted around, looking at anything but him.

"Nothing much. Classic "oh you this, you that"

She made to walk away, but was stopped by a hand on her wrist.

"Pippa Danforth. I think I know you well enough now, to see straight through your lies"

She sighed.

"Whatever" she spoke coldly, yanking her wrist from his grip.
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"What was that all about?" Amy spoke up, seeing her best friend walk out of the control room, disappearing into one of the many corridors.

"I- I think it's something to with the Dream Lord?" Rory offered, Amy rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, never would have guessed that"

"Sorry"

As the Doctor watched her go, his hearts ached. He had known her long enough to understand that what he was feeling wasn't fake. He wanted to tell her, no, needed to tell her. This will end up affecting her too very soon.
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