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'Welcome! Everything is Fine!'
These were the first words Amy sees upon opening her eyes. She felt oddly at peace yet rather confused. One minute she’s in a supermarket car park- the next she’s here, in this comfy little room listening to wind chimes. What was going on?
A door she barely noticed opens, and a woman appears. “Amy? Come on in.” The woman says in an unexpectedly broad Scottish accent, not too dissimilar to Amys own. Amy follows the woman into her office and settles into a large chair. The Woman sits across from her and smiles, silently presenting tea and cake to Amy. Amy takes in the woman before drinking the tea- there was something odd about her; her dark hair placed in a tight updo and her rather Victorian overcoat, like a twisted Mary Poppins.
“Hello, Amy. I'm Missy. How are you today?” The Woman asked in an overly sweet voice.
“I'm great. Thanks for asking. But, uuhh, one question. Where am I? Who are you? And what's going on?” Amy suddenly demanded, as if waking from a daze.
“Right, so, you dear, Amelia Pond, are dead” Missy began. “Your life on Earth has ended, and you are now in the next phase of your existence in the universe. I bet you have many, many questions. But let me begin by saying that you’re in the Good Place- and there is absolutely nothing to worry about.”
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“And this, Amy, right here is your house. Very modern, but with a romantic Big Apple feel to it- no? Oh, and some tartan furnishings to make it feel just like home”, Missy laughed. Amy smiled and nodded. Truth be told the house wasn’t really to her taste, she preferred old houses that had years upon years of stories to tell. After trying to explain all that had gone on- from what the Good Place is, to what the Bad place is, and the point system that determines your fate, Missy began to show Amy around her new hometown. It was quaint and very sweet, but to be honest, Amy was far more interested in Missy- and the feeling in her gut that told her not to trust her.
“And, oh, looks who’s just arrived!” Missy squirmed with glee as a young man entered the room. He was the same age as Amy, with short sandy hair and a slightly awkward (yet endearing) demeaner about him.
“Amy? Hi, I’m Rory, Rory William. And…I’m-your-you’re-my-we’re…we’re soulmates.”
“Hi Rory, it’s nice to meet you”, Amy replied with an enthusiastic hug. Rory blushed but smiled back at Amy, who was beaming at him. There was something about Rory. A strange familiarity; as if they had known each other in another life; as if he would do anything for her- from searching the universe for her to waiting 2000 years to protect her.
“I’ll let you two get acquainted...” Missy said as she slinked out of the room.
“So, Rory, where are you from?” Amy asked as they sat together on the bright red tartan sofa.
“I was born in this little English town called Ledworth. But I lived all over the place working as a nurse for Médecins Sans Frontières … How about you?”
“Inverness- born and raised.” Amy replied rather embarrassed by her lack if worldly experience. She looked at Rory with an overwhelming sense of urgency and trust before asking “Can you keep a secret Rory?” Rory nodded. “Of course- I’d never say anything to cause you any harm.”
“Ok, see here’s the thing- I don’t think I belong here.”
Rory shifted in his seat “What do you mean?”
“When Missy was explaining the whole points system, I realised that I hadn’t done anything to really gain enough points, you know. Like I’m not a bad person- I never killed a guy or anything- but I wasn’t particularly charitable, and I never did anything amazing like you did, working as a nurse and all that. I was a kissogram for goodness sake. Not really high-morals Good Place stuff.”
Rory shook his head in disbelief. “Maybe it’s a test! Maybe you have to tell the truth in order to stay.” He proclaimed but judging by the look on Amys face he knew that she wasn’t convinced. “Or…maybe not. But come on, lets go get some air. I’m in paradise and I’ve got nervous sweats. Only I would get nervous sweats in heaven.”
Amy laughed and took his hand, as they went out to explore this new world.
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Whilst Amy and Rory were debating that moral conundrum, they were getting to know their neighbours too. The first was River Song, a rather infamous socialite whose rowdy behaviour was apparently balanced out points-wise by her charitable donations (of both cash and items of archaeological importance) to various museums around the world. She was immaculately well dressed and seemed to know anyone and everyone worth knowing during her life.
River Songs soulmate was a rather strange man known simply as ‘The Doctor’. He was eccentric, from his over the top mannerisms to his floppy hair and love of bow-ties (and the occasional fez). He never spoke about what he had done to enter the Good Place, but according to Missy he had saved the world on many occasions.
Despite their clear differences, River and the Doctor got on remarkably well. She could smooth talk anyone and he was full of boundless energy (they both also seemed to love the fact that their house was bright blue and stuck out amongst the neighbouring houses). It wasn’t long until the two of them befriended Amy and Rory, who were both taken in by River and the Doctors respective stories about the places they had been to and the people they had met. And whilst they had only just met, Amy got the sense that they just had to have known each other in their previous lives.
But there was a mutual trust there too. River was spilling all sorts of scandalous secrets to Amy who in turn loved telling stories about her family and friends. But Amy was most interested in the Doctor, for every time he was polite and sociable, another time he could be cold and aloof. She also noticed his distrust of Missy.
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The first time she noticed this was at the first town square party. Missy had made a beeline for the four of them as soon as they arrived. She fussed over them and wanted to know everything about their ‘unlikely’ friendship (as Missy put it). The Doctor gave vague answers and asked more and more questions to Missy. About the Good Place; about the points; about the neighbourhood. Amy could tell that Missy was unamused by this apparent sub-ordinance. Clearly no one had ever spoken to her in this way before. And when the Doctor left the party early, she simply let him, but kept a close eye on him from then on.
“You and River don’t trust Missy, do you Doctor” Amy asked him a few nights later.
“No, I don’t Pond. Not one bit. Why do you ask?”
Amy shifted slightly in her seat. Could she really trust this man with the secret that she had only shared with Rory- the idea that she didn’t belong here. “Because I don’t trust her. And I don’t think Rory does either. I think there’s something wrong with this place, but I don’t know what.”
The Doctor stood up with a great sense of urgency, and said before running off- “Amy, come over tonight with Rory. River and I need to talk to you”.
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“So, what exactly do they want to talk about?” Rory asked Amy as they strolled hand in hand towards River and the Doctors house.
“I’m not sure. I already told you everything I said to him- and that he just ran off. Oh, and what have you done to your shirt collar” Amy stopped him in the doorway and fixed his collar before pulling him in close to her for a kiss. They had only known each other for a short while but had already developed a close bond. They snuck off to secluded corners where they behaved “like teenagers” (as the Doctor put when he accidently walked in on them), yet they also bickered like an old married couple. They were intimate with each other in every way- and were very much in love.
Rory knocked on the door which opened almost immediately by the Doctor. “Were you waiting on the other side of the door for us?” Rory asked teasingly.
“No…yes…maybe…it doesn’t matter. Come in and sit down.”
Amy and Rory entered the spacious living room and sat down on the sofa. The interior of Rivers and The Doctors house fascinated Amy. It was almost other-worldy and was like nothing she had ever seen before.
“Amy, Rory”, River began speaking in a rushed yet purposeful tone. “What we’re about to tell you may sound a bit extreme, but you have to promise not to say anything until we’ve finished explaining everything to you. Do you understand
Amy and Rory nodded and followed Rivers eyeline towards the Doctor. He stood against the wall, his lips thin, as if he was thinking about a million different things at once.
“Amy, Rory, there is something you must know- you aren’t dead, and this isn’t the Good Place. None of this is real- the lives you remember weren’t real, but your connection to each other is. And that’s what you must hold on to.”
The Doctor took a deep breath and began to explain.
“In the real world you two have known each other all of your lives and are married. You knew me too. We travelled together, throughout time and space. And River is… well you knew River too.” The Doctor and River shared a glance, as if there was information that they chose to omit.
“I know that sounds crazy and impossible, but you have to search deep within you to see the truth. It’s still in you. It’s why you don’t trust Missy but do trust us. The four of us have an unshakable bond not even Time Lord tech can destroy.”
The Doctor was looking intently at Amy now, as if he was willing her to remember. But to his surprise, it was Rory who broke first. He gave a small chuckle and smiled before saying “You’re the raggedy doctor”.
Within a moment of hearing those words Amys memories came back to her in a flash. Her first encounter with the Doctor, the cracks in time, the Last Centurion, Her and Rorys wedding, Lake Silencio, Demons Run, and so, so, much more. She reached her arm out to touch Rory, her husband, who took her hand and smiled. She looked at River with tearful eyes and whispered “Melody”. Finally, she looked at the Doctor, who was smiling back at her. “Welcome back Ponds!” He proclaimed.
Amy and Rory stood up in excitement. “OK, so what’s going on exactly and who is Missy?” Rory asked.
“Missy’s a Time Lord like me”, the Doctor replied. “Well a Time Lady, I suppose if you want to get technical about it. But put simply she is one of my oldest friends, and yet one of my greatest foes. She’s as smart as me but without a moral code- and that makes her very dangerous. I don’t know why, but she’s messing with me- with us. And I really don’t like not knowing.”
Rory and Amy looked at each other; an overwhelming sense of adventure and mystery growing within them.
“So,” Amy asked with a smile on her face. “What’s the plan, raggedy man?”