Poppy Watcher was living her life. Her boring, dull life. Wishing and hoping The Doctor would show up with the TARDIS to whisk her away to see the universe again. But not yet, and so, the spare room of Amelia Pond's house seems to be where her life...
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Poppy steps out into the console room having picked the first things she saw in the wardrobe, however her necklace was gone and she felt empty without it. The TARDIS jerks as River pulls a lever and they both grab onto the railing.
"What's the matter with you?" River asks the TARDIS when it stops and Poppy joins her by the console. It starts again and both women run around, shouting at each other, trying to stop it from going where it's not supposed to be, they just get thrown around in the process. It stops suddenly.
"Okay. You okay now?" Poppy asks, looking up. River checks the scanner but it's not working, she hits it but nothing happens.
"Might as well have a look around," Poppy says, already by the door and both women leave. When they exit, they're greeted by Amy's house.
"Why have you brought us here?" Poppy asks the TARDIS still, knowing it can most likely hear from outside. They walk down further and find scorch marks on the grass of the front garden, and the front door hanging off its hinges.
"Okay, so something's been here," River mutters darkly to Poppy
"That's not concerning," Poppy grumbles, following the other woman through the house. River's tracker device leads her to Amy's room, but Poppy goes into her old room, switching the light switch on. It should have been empty if they never existed, but there was a bed and boxes thrown around, something catches her eyes and she picks it up. It's a picture of her Rory and Amy on a night out. But if Rory never existed as well...
Amy always used to joke about Romans to Poppy when she mentioned her history degree and teaching degree, when talking about her childhood she always mentioned Pandora's box. miracles don't happen often, and Poppy did think her and Rory were one. She runs out of the room and into Amy's where River is nowhere to be found. Poppy picks up the torch River must have dropped and looks at her desk where dolls of the Doctor and young Amy are.
"Oh Doctor, why do I let you out?" she keeps searching and finds her necklace in a jewellery box by a TARDIS keychain, she grabs it and drops the she was holding. As she sprints to the TARDIS, she struggles to put the necklace on, the doors slam behind her when she finds River on the phone to The Doctor.
"They're not real. They can't be. They're all right here in the story book. Those actual Romans. The ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all in a book in Amy's house. A children's picture book," River tells him and Poppy's theory was coming together
"What are you even doing there?"
"It doesn't matter. The TARDIS went wrong. Doctor, how is this possible?"
"Something's using her memories. Amy's memories," Poppy speaks up "I don't think I'm real. If I was erased from time, I can't be here apart from through her memories. Small inconsistencies that don't add up,"
"But how?" River asks both of them
"You said something had been there,"
"Yeah, there's burn marks on the grass outside - Landing patterns,"
"If they've been to her house, they could have used her psychic residue. Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts. They could've taken a snapshot of Amy's memories. But why?"
"Doctor, who are those Romans?
"Projections, or duplicates.
"But they were helping us. My lipstick even worked,"
"They might think they're real. The perfect disguise. They actually believe their own cover story, right until they're activated."
"Um, I don't believe my cover story," Poppy responds
"And that's why we can hope that you won't kill us all sweetie," River mutters, flicking through a book "Doctor, that Centurion..." she'd found a photograph of Amy in her policewoman outfit with Rory dressed as a Roman.
"Kinky," Poppy remembers, Amy did like romans.
"It's a trap. It has to be. They used Amy to construct a scenario you'd believe, to get close to you,"
"Why? Who'd do that? What for? It doesn't make sense," Something goes bang in the TARDIS and sparks fly, The Doctor calls for both women over the phone "Poppy, River, what's happening?!"
"I don't know. It's the engines!" Poppy shouts
"Doctor, there's something wrong with the TARDIS, like something else is controlling it,"
"You're flying it wrong!"
"I'm flying it perfectly. You and Poppy taught me!" She grumbles
"Wait, how do you know who I am if I've been erased? How do I know about Rory?"
"We've been connected to the time vortex for too long," River explains quickly
"Where are you? What's the date reading?"
"It's the 26th of June, 2010!" Poppy shouts over the phone when River throws it to her
"You need to get out of there now. Any other time zones. Just go!"
"I can't break free!" River take she phone again as Poppy continues trying to control the TARDIS.
"Well, then shut down the TARDIS! Shut down everything!"
"I can't!"
"Silence will fall. Silence will fall," A voice comes out of the TARDIS and Poppy nearly faints, her brain was killing her. It was like everything was rushing back to her at once and she wasn't Poppy Watcher anymore.
"Poppy?!" River asks before she faints onto the jump seat.
The Doctor keeps trying to help River as they both worry and fight over Poppy's health. The Doctor's connection is disconnected and River tries frantically to escape the TARDIS, dragging a half-awake Poppy. When River opens the TARDIS doors, she discovers she is parked right up against a rock wall.
Poppy's eyes snap open "What a great day," she says sarcastically, sitting up on her elbows as River turns to look at her and the TARDIS explodes, every star in the universe disappearing whilst Rory weeps ever Amy's body.
