Canterlot Castle
The Throne Room.
There the Doctor stood at the doors to the throne room of the two princesses of Equestria. When he was a foal coming here would have been the highest honour for him...but not any more. Not after the things he'd seen, and now they call for him. He raised his ears under his cloak and he ever so slightly managed to hear what was being said inside the throne room. If it was normal talking he would not be able to hear anything through the huge metal doors, thankfully the sisters were yelling at the top of their lungs.
"Tia don't do this! you know what he's done, his methods are sick!" said a voice from the other side of the door.
"I'm sorry Luna but I won't sit here while a plague befalls my kingdom!" came another voice,
"And what do you think he can do?!"
"He's seen things like this before. He could help the elements of harmony tend to the sick!"
"Fine but don't say I didn't warn you sister! that pony is a demon, NOT one of your subjects!"
Oh lovely the Doctor thought that's nice to hear.... but she's right.... I am a monster.
His thoughts were soon cut off when one of the guards that had been watching him for the last few minutes, probably because of his odd looking uniform, said "you may now enter" and the doors in front of him finally opened, the Doctor straightened himself and he walked in.
The two Princesses eyed him carefully, not that they could see his face, let alone his entire body under his pale coloured beak mask and his dark hooded cloak. All he did was make the usual bow, and stand there and wait for them to talk just in case they were the only speak when spoken to type of royalty.
After about a minute princess Celestia broke the silence, "hello there um sir um.... I don't actually know your name" she said in a voice like she didn't properly know how to greet him.
"Princess if it's all the same to you I just prefer Doctor."
"Very well then, Doctor. Do you know why we have called you here?" she asked, trying to hide her curiosity about his his real name.
"Depends." he said.
Princess Luna finally spoke up and said "depends on what Doctor?" cursing herself that she had to call that... that thing Doctor.
"Depends on if the things I heard on my way up here are true" He said remembering back to overhearing ponies talking about a town by the name of Ponyville that had some sort of sickness there.
"They probably would be true" Celestia said knowing that the stories had been running rampant through the streets all week.
"Well then tell me what is this.... pestilence then?" the Doctor hadn't been in Equestria for seven years now and had forgotten most of the way to Canterlot, he was only lucky that Canterlot was completely unmissable.
Celestia took a deep sigh and said "a terrible plague has fallen over my subjects and it's spreading faster than I thought it would, it first started in Ponyville, and now it's reached Manehattan, Canterlot And Cloudsdale.
The Doctor remained silent.
"Look!" said Luna angrily, she didn't like the pony neither did she want to, "what my sister is trying to say is that it wont be long before this plague is everywhere and we are running out of options"
"You speak as if I've got a cure to everything" The Doctor said.
Celestia frowned, "we heard you had experience in this sort of problem" she said sadly.
The Doctor saw how ever much he would try the Princesses would probably not take no for a answer, and however much he hated it this still was his job. "well then princess. I accept. I will help".
The princess looked at him, "Oh thank you Doctor. We have already put a quarantine over PonyVille to stop the disease from spreading. We will give you anything you want"
"Spare me!" the Doctor said cutting her off, "I don't need nor want your money or your gratitude. Do you think i deserve anyponies thanks for things I've done? For the things I'll do? don't try to hide it Princess, you know perfectly well what i''ve done and what I did. but do you know why I did it?..." The Princesses didn't answer. "Because nopony else would!....." He said in cruel manner.
"You've lost your mind" Luna whispered under her breath hoping the mentally scarred pony in front of her hadn't heard her, but he did.
"You would too if you'd seen what I've seen" he said
"What have you seen?" The princesses both said, of course they had lived for thousands of years but the princesses were not quite sure about what had been going on outside their peaceful kingdom with Luna being banished to the moon and and Celestia having to run night and day entirely by herself, and now that they'd seen a pony that was not Equestrian born they were getting rather worried about what was beyond there peaceful kingdom.
All the masked Doctor said was "you don't want me to answer that...."
Ponyville
Five hours later
Train station
"I'm not sure about this y'all", Applejack said to five other ponies and one dragon. They had been waiting at the train station ever since they got word that an experienced Doctor was on their way. The element's immunity and that dragons are unaffected to the plague allowed them to go outside unlike everyone else who was forced to stay indoors until there was a cure, "Granny Smith told me that these Doctors could kill you with one single touch and then after he killed ya he'd turn ya into a Zompony."
"Oooo! Oooo! !Oooo! I could throw him a 'I hope you don't turn us into Zomponies' party!"
"Pinkie i'm pretty sure he isn't able to turn us into Zomponies" Twilight said
"Yeah well he better get here soon" said Rainbow Dash, clearly bored of waiting for half an hour, "Who is this guy anyway?"
"All it says he's had experience with this kind of thing and that's all" said Spike as the train came around the bend. They watched as the train came to a slow halt and three guards came to check if there was nopony sneaking onto the train to get away from the plague.The guards gave the all clear and and the one and only passenger was allowed to get off.
"I hope he will be able to help the...th" Fluttershy stopped mid sentence and gasped as she saw the figure appearing at the door of the train. A stallion, or at least she thought it was a stallion, in a dark hooded cloak wearing a pale white mask with a strange beak and glass eye holes for seeing through. There was truly no way of seeing the stallions face or anything about him.
Rarity gasped as she she saw him, she mostly gasped at his fashion. Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind Applejack who was trying to maintain a normal composure with limited success. Pinkie Pie's smile faltered for only a second before she was her normal self again. Rainbow Dash stood there in awe as she had never seen anything like that before. Twilight looked at Spike who whispered to her "I smell something."
"Spike not now we can eat later" Twilight whispered back in irritation, annoyed that her number one assistant couldn't concentrate on the matter at hand.
"No I mean I smell something coming from.... whatever he is, and I can't put my claw on it" he said with a worried look on his face.
Twilight looked at him and gave him a reassuring look as the so called Doctor approached them.
When he finally was standing in front of them he decided to speak up since the look on their faces said they weren't going to. "Good evening" he said.
"Hi!" Pinkie said bouncing up to the Doctor. "I'm Pinkie Pie and this is Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy, oh wait I already said Fluttershy!" pinkie said giggling.
"Don't worry she's always like that" Rarity said, trying not to ask if she can get him a better suit for his job.
"so" Twilight said, "how about we show you everything that's been happening around here?"
"It would probably be best if I could be shown a place where I can set up a laboratory as well" the Doctor said
"oh yes of course" Twilight said. They began to walk into Ponyville. To a normal pony you wouldn't be able to tell there was a plague going on. It looked like your average happy town, but not to the Doctor. He'd seen this before plenty of times. Ponies going about their business trying to act like nothing was wrong.
"I expected there to be more coughing and ill ponies in the street by this time" the Doctor said in a curious tone.
"So did we but we were hoping you could explain that." Rainbow Dash said.
The Doctor wasn't listening. He was busy watching a stallion across the street that had been coughing for the last two minutes, before Rainbow could ask what he was looking at he was already walking towards the coughing stallion, "excuse me sir I'm a Doctor and I was wondering how long have you had that dreadful cough?" the Doctor asked the stallion who seemed shocked at the fact that this pony was a Doctor!
"uum about two days" the stallion asked in a raspy voice.
The Doctor started thinking to himself when the Six came over to join them. "Hello Thunderlane" said Twilight.
"Hello... you... guys" he said between coughs, but then the Doctor saw what he predicted due to his experience, Thunderlane threw up violently and collapsed on the floor.
Fluttershy went to help him. If the Elements weren't protected he would not have allowed this at all.
He began to examine Thunderlane but he easily came to the conclusion, he turned the six and said "I wont lie to you, he's going to die within the next few days and it will be very painful."
They stood there looking at Thunderlane wide eyed and pitiful. 'How could he just.. say that?!' Applejack thought.
The Doctor looked down at Thunderlane and said "hold still"as he pulled out a needle with a odd looking liquid inside and injected the contents into Thunderlane's neck.
"Will... it... cure me?" Thunderlane asked while choking.
The Doctor paused for a moment, "of course it will good sir" he lied
Thunderlane's body began to toss and turn uncontrollably, Pinkie had only just realized what the Doctor was doing. She moved to help Thunderlane but the Doctor immediately caught her, "If you knew this pony you would let him die quick." he whispered in her ear.
The ponies looked over Thunderlane's now dead body either crying or angry at the Doctor for what he did but still..... you can't blame him for giving a quick death.
Five minutes later
Golden Oaks library
WHAT IN EQUESTRIA DID YA DO?!!!! Applejack yelled at the Doctor.
"Well I simply injected a fluid that shuts off the lungs and slows the heart rate down into his neck letting him choke to death" the Doctor said keeping his as Fluttershy cried into Rainbow's neck. Twilight and Spike were fascinated, stunned, angry, sad, there are to many to name. Pinkies hair had deflated and she had not spoken a word the whole way to the library and Rarity was in total disgust.
"THAT DON'T MAKE IT ANY BETTER!!!" Applejack responded.
"Miss Applejack I politely ask you to calm down" the Doctor said while dragging Thunderlane's dead body inside.
And that was it. Applejack had had enough. She stomped right up to him and faced him snout to mask, "Listen here you" she said anger glistening in her green emerald eyes, "If you don't start giving us some answers then I'm gonna break every bone in your body and send you home in a box!..."
The Doctor found this very funny to say the least. He had dealt with violent ponies before but not as protective as this, the Doctor thought back to a large Griffon who attempted to kill him a few years back in the griffon kingdoms, it did not end well for him. but still he maintained his composure as always and played along.
"If you insist" he said. "first things first, the reason I..... put that stallion out of his misery is that I needed a victim of the disease who had died within a few hours of it, secondly I needed to know how the disease spread"
"So that makes killing ponies alright?" said Twilight.
"Better a few die then all" he replied. now Miss Twilight do you have a laboratory?" Doctor asked.
"Well... I... yes I do but" Twilight stuttered and then was cut off by the Doctor.
"Excellent I will need to set up my gear there then if you don't mind" he said. "But for now I will need to go back out and take a few samples from around Ponyville."
"Uuuuum... give us a sec" Rainbow Dash said pulling the rest over to her "we're not going to let him go out and cause more havoc are we?" she whispered.
"I agree" said AJ somepony needs to go with him and make sure he don't do anything else crazy while we stay here, I am determined to find out who this guy is" she said trying to calm down after yelling so much.
"I'll go with him" said Pinkie who had been very unusually quiet.
"Are you sure Pinkie? you don't need have to" said rarity.
"It's okay" she said.
"I-Ii'll go too" said Spike.
Twilight was quiet for a moment not wanting her number one assistant to come to harm, "but Spike you really don't."
"No I feel like I must" Spike said cutting her off.
"All right then" Applejack said, "lets do it" they turned to the Doctor and Spike and Pinkie left with him. as soon as they were out of sight they turned to Fluttershy, Rarity and AJ and said. "okay lets find everything we can on mask wearing doctors and would somepony please put thunderlane's body in my lab!"
Ponyville streets
minutes later
Spike was walking beside Pinkie who was still in her depressive state. He was too scared speak up and cheer Pinkie because of the masked and cloaked stallion walking beside him. All he could do was put his hand on Pinkie's side, hoping it would help. He found out what that smell was that he was talking to Twilight about by the way... it was blood.
"Miss Pinkie, I do suggest you stop pouting. There is not much point in the grief of death when it will all come across us someday" the so called Doctor said.
Pinkie didn't answer, just maintained her expression with her head down low and her hair deflated. Spike decided to answer for her.
"How could you say that?" he said. "You just murdered her friend like it was nothing!"
The Doctor replied "You might as well get used to seeing it because if this sickness grows any worse, and it will. We will have ponies choking themselves slowly to death everywhere!"
"R-Really?" Spike asked a look of concern growing upon his face.
"I will be honest" the Doctor replied. "As long as there's a plague here in this town ponies are going to die and that, young drake, is a fact. First it will spread to the working ponies, and then they will go home and hug their foals, thus spreading it further and then the children will go outside spreading it even more. You better start getting used to death, young drake."
The Doctor stopped in front of a well, "this should do" he said and started to lower the bucket.
Pinkies curiosity got the best of her. "What are you doing?" she asked.
The Doctor looked at Pinkie. "I need to see how the plague is spreading. I'm checking the water supply for any sign of it, if it's water born then were going to have to find the source."
"Oh" Pinkie said.
The Doctors ears perked up, "OH yes, miss Pinkie, I will need your help with something."
"I'm not going to help you kill anypony!" Pinkie said frowning,. "I won't let you!"
"Miss pinkie I wont need to kill anypony else though even if I did I doubt I'll need to" he said pointing to something across the street. "I'll have plenty of bodies to choose from."
"W-What's that?" Spike asked.
"Another victim of the disease I would expect" The Doctor said
Pinkie and Spike squinted into the darkness of the alley where the Doctor was pointing, and slowly a body came into focus. They couldn't tell who it was.... they weren't sure they wanted to find out.
"The water appears to have no bacteria" the Doctor said putting some liquid in the sample of water he collected.
Spike and Pinkie pulled away from looking at the dead and lifeless body. "Where now?" They said asked.
"Where do the towns ponies get their food from?" he said
Pinkie and spike thought for a moment and then they said together "the market."
Ponyville Library
meanwhile
"Anything?" Twilight asked while looking through the shelves.
"Nothin' on Doctors, or plagues" Applejack answered, lying on a pile of goods.
Rarity sighed "absolutely nothing on That Doctor or their fashion"
"Wait a minute, where's Fluttershy?" Twilight asked looking around seeing only piles of books.
"She went upstairs to be alone" Rarity said as there was a knock at the door.
"another pony askin' fer help?" Applejack said unhappily "I hate tellin' them we can't help em."
"I know" Twilight said glumly. "you two head them off, I'll go look for Fluttershy."
Rarity and Applejack nodded sadly and twilight went up stairs.
It didn't take long to find Fluttershy. Twilight found her crying on her bed, her quiet sobs filling the room with a dark gloomy atmosphere. Twilight embraced her friend in a hug. After a few minutes Fluttershy manage to calm down enough to talk.
"w-why did all this happen?" she asked quietly while crying into her friends shoulder.
"I don't know Fluttershy," Twilight said helping her friend up "and I don't know why this plague started in Ponyville of all places. But what I do know is that we're going to find out, about who the Doctor is, about where the plague came from, everything. But I need all my friends to be at one hundred percent, Okay?"
"O-Okay" Fluttershy said weakly and wiped some tears from her eyes, "Oh, I found this", Fluttershy took out a book on the floor and gave it to Twilight.
"What's this?" Twilight asked
"it's a about a old ancient cult" Fluttershy said.
"annnnnd how does this help us?"
"the ancient cult wore hoods and masks shaped like beaks" Fluttershy answered.
Twilight didn't waste any more time, she gathered Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy in the main room and opened the book. "Okay Doctor, lets find out who you really are" Twilight said, before beginning to read the book out loud.
"Plague doctors are part of a old cult, all other information on the origin is unknown since they are very secretive about their past. We only know so much about these ponies but what we do know is that their mask is traditional and they are sworn to never use magic if they're a unicorn or to fly if they're a pegasus. Under there cloak they have leather belts to carry all things they need on their journeys without showing it and to strap their wings down if they are a pegasus. They might wear spell-locks on their horns too. They are trained in the skills of medicine and anatomy. Under their cloak they mostly carry: Scalpels and syringes filled with a range of biles. We know only one thing about these mysterious ponies. They've taken a vow to rid the world of any pestilence and the will stop at nothing do so, including making lives expendable...."
Applejack closed the book "I think we've heard enough, what's important is that we've let a cruel, insane pony roam the streets of Ponyville!"
"I agree" Rarity said. "sophisticated as he may sound we can't let him hurt anypony else"
Fluttershy nodded.
"Right, so what do we do?" Twilight asked.
"We go after him of course" Rarity said. "If he tries to do something I don't think Spike and Pinkie can stop him."
"Then lets get after him then!" Twilight said.
"Uum, Twi? ah don't think ya' noticed but we don't know where they went" Applejack said.
Twilight sighed and said "Then lets go look for them."
Ponyville Market
"Promise me you wont kill anypony" Pinkie commanded.
"Excuse me?" The Doctor said.
"Promise me you wont kill any pony"
He sighed "if I don't.... euthanise, any more ponies then the plague will spread quicker..." he said, "my life's duty is to rid the world of things like this. If I can slow it down in any way I must. But I will give you my word I wont kill any more ponies unless I can't stop their fate of a slow death...."
Pinkies hair inflated a bit, not to its normal state, but still a little more bouncy than being completely straight.
The Doctor looked at the sky "it's getting late. We will have to get this done quickly." He turned to Pinkie, "Could you two take this and sample the food?" he asked them, handing Spike a small vial with some sort of chemical in it. "take the piece of food from the market and if the water goes red then it's infected. Okay?"
"Okay" Spike said "wait what are you gonna do?"
"I'm going to take a look around the outskirts of the town...." he answered.
"Why?" Spike asked but the doctor was already walking off. Spike looked at Pinkie and said "what do we do?"
Pinkie made a quick decision and replied "You do the sample thingy. I'm gonna follow him" she said mischievously wile putting her fake moustache.
Spike sighed, happy to see Pinkie nearer to her usual self. 'I hope she stays that way' he thought. Pinkie already disappeared off somewhere, leaving Spike in the empty streets of Ponyville market. Spike thought to himself 'that Doctor is a puzzle wrapped in a enigma concealed in a labyrinth... What is a labyrinth any way?' he drifted off into his thoughts as he walked down the old streets.
Outskirts of Ponyville
Later That day.
Pinkie Pie ducked behind a old flower cart and took a peek at the Doctor. He was standing at the edge of the Everfree. Just standing there and gazing off into the world. He muttered something under his breath. Pinkie leaned in to hear a bit better putting her hoof on a trig without noticing. snap!
The doctor turned around quickly. Pinkie had hid back behind the cart, luckily the doctor spotted something else which caught his masked eye. the sound he heard slipped from his mind when he saw the small filly with a bow trotting into the Everfree forest.
"where is she going?" he said to no one at all. Pinkie heard this and looked up also to see Applebloom head into the darkness of the forest. The doctor began to slowly follow her.
'Oh No!' Pinkie thought 'he's going to hurt Applebloom!' and thus Pinkie began to follow the doctor into the dark, dangerous forest. She knew this was a bad idea, but Applebloom's safety was more important to her right now.
