The Plague Doctor.

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.