The Stranger From The Vortex

Spike kept looking at the TARDIS monitor, barely understanding what he was looking at except for the heart rates. The beeping to the heart rate sounded way off; there was a rhythm to it that made it different from the average pony heart.

“He’s got to be an alien ...” he thought to himself. Then his attention was drawn towards his hungry belly that growled. He looked upon the numerous halls going off in every direction from the console room and tried to remember where the kitchen was. The baby dragon looked back to the monitor; the Maestro was still breathing.

“You know for a space ship, I bet you can get lost in here pretty quickly” Spike said. Like any young minded creature, he walked up to the console with a curiosity. Even after all these months with the Doctor, the console was still a sight that left him in awe. He walked around it, watching its every buttons and gadgetry and flickering lights, trying to thinking which one could possibly lead him to the kitchen ... if there was a kitchen.

“Hmm, the Doctor did say that it is alive … sort of. If that’s true then maybe if I talk to it, I might get directions to the kitchen” he said while looking up at the pumping mechanisms inside the column of the Time Rotor going up and down inside the glass cylinder; glowing with an awesome aqua light. Spike then realized how insane he sounded by considering such an idea.

“Whoa, I've only been alone for five minutes in here, and already I'm going crazy. Can’t imagine was 1,000 years has done to the Doctor. Now I know how he makes up his crazy ideas, hahaha” Spike chuckled.

Out of nowhere, several white lights turned on down alongside the walls of one corridor after the buttons and levers activated on their own. Then a buzz alarmed Spike to turn back to the screen. Covering the data numbers and charts were large digital words that read: FOLLOW THE LIGHTS TO THE KITCHEN. Spike gulped and nervously chuckled while slowly backing towards the corridor, realizing that there might actually be more to this machine then he initially thought.

Spike followed the lights down the corridor and eventually they lead him to the enormous and glamorous kitchen that could rival the Canterlot Royal Kitchen. He peaked around to see the room was very shiny, futuristic, and chrome like in design. Spike's stomach growled hungry for anything after today's weird adventure. He found the largest fridge in the room, and low and behold his eyes were greater with a unique site of tasty drinks and goodies. Yet, what really caught his attention was the surprising jar of gems. He squeaked with sheer glee and jumped up to reach for the jar. After a couple of tries, Spike finally grabbed it and read the tag attached it.

“Dear Doctor, do not give this Spike until his birthday. Also, stop leaving it next to the milk. Gems are not at all delicious as that little dragon says they are! Especially the green ones, some how in this world when crunched into powder, tastes like pears; yuck! I know how much I hate pears, So please move them from the milk, it is NOT milk powder. Sincerely, the Doctor. Hmm, we'll he was going to save it for my birthday ... BUUUUT, Future Spike will eventually eat this so its best that Present Spike take a sneak peak, just to get ready for it when it comes” he said to himself, and instantly, a devious smile grew across his face. Spike opened the lid and reached in for one gem, from there he dropped it in his mouth and took it all in with one bite. The taste of it crushing in his teeth and landing on his tongue in smaller bits was savored by the dragon, lasting even after the entire thing was inside his stomach. He licked his lips, but groaned soon after for he was still hungry.

“Hmm, maybe one more will satisfy the hunger” Spike grabbed another and gulped it down, causing him to burp once again. He licked his lips, but even then his stomach was still hungry.

“Okay, okay. Just let me grab some milk first and then I’ll take two more and that's-” Spike immediately stopped talking once he opened the fridge again to see another four jars right behind the milk. An even bigger smile grew on his face, completing the awe that his wide eyes had. He was bewildered to see the extra jars of gems and diamonds. Spike looked at the jar in his hands and started chugging it down his throat. It was obvious by now that his mind was set on getting his stomach full of three more jars worth of delicious gems. He ran about the kitchen to prepare him a delectable meal. Meanwhile several rooms away something else was going on.

***

The screen was calm after Spike left, but very soon afterwards it started to display a change in Maestro’s heart rate, with an ever growing pace. There was a sudden rise in blood pressure, reaching to dangerous levels. His body temperature drastically changed to higher and lower levels. The TARDIS and all the machinery scanning his body were detecting an abundance of data that pointed to dangerous flow of electronic impulses from his cerebrum, to his reticular activating system, and along the medulla oblongata.

Sweat ran down the Maestro’s forehead while he ground his teeth together. His breathing grew heavier and heavier, replacing the sound of his nostrils sucking in air and blowing it out with quick wheezes. His eyes twitched like a madman's in response to the horrid vision locked in his mind. From his mouth escaped vast amounts of rainbow and golden dust, just like before at the hospital. Without warning, his body violently shook and his hind legs kicked about. His kicks were close enough to toss the monitors back and crash against the floor. Sparks blasted from the machines, along the wires to his body and zapped the nervous system below his waistline. The Maestro screamed from the intense static shock at the same time that the TARDIS console screen began to flash red as it detected a flat line, no brain functions, loss of blood pressure. His body was blasted from the machines, and he rolled across the floor.

Spike smacked his lips, looking at the delectable gem cookies he made with a glass of crushed gem fruit juice. He sighed and opened his jaws, ready to take a bite out of his meal, until the lights turned off. Then back on to neon red. Then came the worse sound possible, the Cloister Bells. Spike gasped.

“No, no, no, no, NO! This isn't good! Oh why didn't I just stay and wait for Twilight!” Spike yelled, running out the kitchen … only to quickly come back for his snacks and drink, where he officially ran down the corridors to find his way back to the console room. Eventually after many trial and errors with each corridor and room, Spike got to the console room. The aqua glow was now replaced by a menacing red. His attention was drawn towards the console monitor. Spike dropped his glass, causing it to shatter to pieces and glide across the platform.

“No … No ...” was all he could say. Spike sat down on the floor, stunned by what he just read; he began to tear up in his eyes, feeling like a failure for his stupid mistake. The bells tolled as the monitor started buzzing and beeping a warning: DATA CORRUPTED, NO LIFE SIGNS DETECTED FROM … THE MAESTRO

***

Down every corridor, and along each metal pipes and rails, the tolls of the Cloister Bell echoed throughout the TARDIS. The sound made its way to every room, including the Zero Room. Several Minutes had passed and lying on the floor was The Maestro. There was no movement for a long time. Short sparks blasted from the dysfunctional machines, the blanket that Twilight gave him earlier was had drops of blood with smears of golden and rainbow particles. His body was lifeless for many minutes at a time. All of a sudden, his ears began to flop and turn towards the tolls of the bells. Static started to zap all around his hair and disappear into his chest. Soon after, his entire body started to slowly come back to life. The Maestro opened his eyes, but squinted at the bright white of the zero room. He shook his head while feeling an immense banging rattling inside. He moaned and slightly coughed into his hooves, clearing his throat a bit. He smacked his lips, feeling extremely throat dried.

“Whoa … where the dickens, am I?” the Maestro said, taking notice of the white room and machines laying on the floor. He breathed deeply through his nostrils, and took scent of a familiar smell.

“This is definitely not the hospital, but that smell … Ooh, that smells familiar” the Maestro sniffed the air and carefully got up. His legs were a bit wobbly from the intense shock to the legs, which caused him to fall over a couple of steps. After getting tired of falling over every step he took, the Maestro forced his upper body to drag himself towards the blanket. He rolled onto his back the instant his hooves got a hold of the blanket. He smelled the blanket and sighed happily. It smelled of those that violet unicorn and green spiked dragon he met at the hospital. Then his snout caught the scent of that earth pony with the bow tie.

“Oh what were their names? Errr, come on, you know this. It’s on the tip of your tongue. Come on-oh wait, wait, wait! I remember it now, it’s … No, I forgot, damn it!” he shouted; ticked off that he could barely remember. The Maestro sighed and covered himself with the warm blanket.

“I can almost feel them here, even though I don’t know where HERE actually is … how the heck did I get in here? All I remember was the unicorn and the baby dragon giving me a hug because of my-oh, yeah” the Maestro pouted, looking down and shut his eyes. He let out a sigh of disbelief to the fact that he may possibly have Amnesia. Yet, it seemed pretty obvious after thinking about; what with all the loss of memory, but how is it possible that when he dreams it comes back and it leaves when he awoken. Yet with all this going through his mind, the Maestro took notice of the machines off to the side and the wires laid down the floor. Curiously he approached them. However, with his hind legs out of commission at the moment, the unicorn had to crawl his way towards them. His muscles ached, but if he wanted any answers then getting to those machines was the only answers. Slowly and surely with some aches, his hooves clamped against the floor and pulled his entire mass to the faulty wiring and cracked screens of the monitors.

“Agh! Finally, now let’s see what we got here?” the Maestro observed the devices in every way possible. From the design to the texture to the even what type of metal it could be, the curious pony took every precaution to see what he was looking at which included the process of looking inside to see what wiring and mechanism he could see. For a clueless pony with a weak body, his curiosity did take the better of him, but even then the Maestro knew nothing about machines. The bells kept tolling, which got him very annoyed at this point, but once he noticed each machine were connected to wires that were leading out the door way, an idea popped into his warped mind. He could recognize one of these devices being like the heart monitor at the hospital, including its ECG's. The glue was dry so he couldn't attached them easily back to his chest, but like any clueless dope,  the Maestro thought the best possible plan was to lick them and pray they stuck to him like a fly in tree sap.

“For a clueless pony, I got some pretty sweet idea-AAAAHHHH!!” he screamed as the static shock zapped his tongue. He dropped the wires and felt his tongue go numb for a good while. He covered his mouth and made muffle screams. Five minutes passed by and he realized that the wiring inside must have tripped to cause this, so like any simple minded person he searched inside the wiring and prayed that he knew what he was doing was right. Soon after the screen came back to life, detecting a flat line like before.

“Oh no I've died! ...” horrified at first, but quickly remembered that he was still alive. He chuckled and blushed out of embarrassment, as well as thankful that no pony was around to hear him say that.

“I guess this machine thinks I'm dead. Well not for long because it’s time to bring me back some life!” he cried out like a mad pony, and licked each ECG to the surprise that it didn't shock him this time. His eyes turned back to the heart rate monitor. Nothing, it was still a flat line. At this point the Maestro was tired of trying to fix the monitor, and he ground his teeth together in anger.

“Come on you stupid thing! Work damn you, WORK!” with his rage, the Maestro banged the monitor around and jump started it. The heartbeats were detected.

“Woo-Hoo!” he cheered, “Maybe now, some pony will see that I’m still alive, and get me out of here … I hope” the Maestro sighed and lay back as his hopes were coming true.

***

Spike sat in the chair; he was done crying, but only because he convinced himself that there was nothing left to do. Whatever mission that the Doctor and Twilight and their friends were off to, their victory will be shattered once they realized that the Maestro was dead. Spike sighed, still feeling mortified that he let the stranger die … or so he thought. Nearly twenty minutes had passed since his friends ventured out, and there was no sign of the cloister bells stopping.He got up and walked towards the exit. He was in need for some fresh air to clear his mind. Spike was only mere seconds from turning the doorknob, but the bigger surprise that caught his attention was the lights returning back to aqua green. Spike was taken aback by the monitor as it detected a faint heart rate. His jaw hung and a smile came right after. The bells finished tolling and he immediately followed the wires back to the zero room.

“Maestro?!” Spike yelled out as he approached the room.

“Spike?! Wait I remember now! Your name is Spike, HA-HA!” Maestro laughed back. Spike came into the unicorn’s vision, and he waved his arms at the friend.

“Oh thank Celestia! You’re alive!” Spike was relief to ran into the room and find the Maestro on the floor. He hugged the unicorn, thankful to see.

“Yes I am, but do you mind explaining to me, where am I?” he asked.

“You’re in a zero gravity room, but apparently the TARDIS turned the zero gravity off” Spike noticed.

“Zero Gravity? TARDIS? What do you mean?” the Maestro was confused by these words.

“That’s what the Doctor calls it; this is his home. I think it stands for Time and … something, something in Space” Spike explained.

“Wait-wait-wait … did you say Space?” the Maestro asked, to make sure he heard it right.

“Yeah, I’ll explain on the way. Come on, I’ll take you to the console room.” Spike said.

“Actually I can’t seem to get up because of the shock to my legs. Now I’m not crippled, but they’re still asleep, and though we’ve just met a couple hours ago ... would you, uhm … I can’t believe I’m asking this, but would you mind carrying me?” the Maestro asked. Seconds later, the unicorn was frowning as he had to crawl with Spike only holding up his hind legs, but soon after they arrived to the console room. The strange unicorn’s jaw dropped at the beautiful sight.

“Oh … wow!” the pony said, in amazement at the console room’s scale and size. Spike helped the Maestro sit up on the chair, but he refused to stay down. He had to see this entire room.

“This is one of the most amazing sites in the world, and I’m sitting down?! No way little lizard” the Maestro proclaimed.

“But if your legs are asleep, how are you gonna walk around, and NO! I will not carry you around.”

“Damn it, no wait!” He noticed the wires leading out of the TARDIS console panels and likely back to the Zero Room. Another ludicrous idea popped up in his noggin.

“What is it?”

“Hmmm, I think I have an idea. So crazy that it’ll either get me to walk … or kill me in the process. When I was in my slumber, the shock from the wires sort of shut down the nervous system temporarily, but maybe if we switch the polarity of the electricity flow by using these blue wires instead of this red one which came from the machines then maybe, just maybe, it might reactivate my hind legs!”

“But you said you might die?” Spike reminded him.

“If we do this wrong. I-I hope, now let’s not dilly dally! I’ve got a machine to see!”

“You know, you’re beginning to sound like the Doctor. Even your accent sounds funny” Spike mentioned as he grabbed the wires and bit them to expose the actual metal underneath.

“Accent? I have an accent?” the Maestro said, which he proceeded to check by making mumbling sounds.

“Yeah, kinda like Rarity’s” Spike said, smiling at the thought of Rarity’s voice in his mind. A sudden shock busted out of the wires and got him back down from his imaginary cloud nine.

“What’s a Rarity?”

“A friend of mine and Twilight’s. She does this incredible fashion stuff, maybe we should stop by and I’ll introduce her to you. I bet she’ll find some way to dress you up, make you look dashing, hehe” the dragon smirked as the Maestro took notice of his lack of clothes.

“I guess a set of clothes will do me well” the Maestro said.

“You must be an alien. You know how I know … because only a nice guy can convince me that an idea like this COULD actually work out” the Spike clapped the wires together, making a shock between them.

“Oh hush, now come on! I want to see this mesmerizing palace of machinery and sci-YEOW!” the Maestro was suddenly screaming out as Spike zapped his hooves with the exposed wires. The young dragon immediately tossed the wires away. His body was acting sporadic, but finally froze; striking a pose as if his body was dead.

“No, no, no, no! Damn it, I think I actually DID kill him this time” Spike nervously said. He looked at the twitching body, still running electricity throughout his nerves. Just to make sure, Spike poked the Maestro’s left eye.

“Ow!” the Maestro rubbed his eye, “Careful, you have claws! Not hooves dang it!”

“Uh ... Maestro …” Spike said.

“What?!” he shouted, continuing to rub his eye.

“You’re walking!” Spike shouted.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever now can we-WHAT?!” the Maestro yelled and looked down to see that he was on all four hooves. Spike clapped for the pony, who’s plan actually worked out. The Maestro jumped up and down, finally happy to see his two hind legs working again.

“Your plan did work!”

“It did?! I mean, yes! Of course it would … now let’s check this baby out shall we” The Maestro said as he started to walk around the TARDIS console room.

The Maestro stared down at the glass platform beneath his hooves. He swaggered around it, in utter amazement that the floor had an illusion of him and Spike walking in midair. He slowly walked around the console; eyeing every bleeping light, every button and switch, every dial and lever, every single little detail to the point that it became all too stunning for the unicorn. The framework was mixed with all sorts of materials from glass to plastic to coral to iron, even elements like gold and silver. The crystal cylinder in the center caught his attention with the pumping time router within it. The Maestro rubbed the console’s edge, admiring the machine's design and style. Suddenly the Maestro ran down to the platform beneath the console and stared at the several wires and aqua lights all going to the center cylinder again where a wooden frame surrounded it.

“Oh Spike, this is completely amazing! And this is the Doctor’s house?!” The Maestro asked.

“Yep, as well as some other impossible things” Spike mumbled.

“I know I am utterly speechless, but what does it do?”

“Remember how I said it stands for Time and something, something in Space?”

“Yeah, you didn't quite explain that”

“It's kinda complicated, but basically this is a spaceship”

“A Spaceship? Spike, are you sure the wires didn't touch you too? How many hooves am I holding up” The Maestro asked, chuckling at the baby dragon's answer.

“Hey, I'm serious. Look, it may seem like a kooky modeled mansion, but trust me, this is a spaceship” Spike frowned at the Maestro who seemed as skeptic as he was when he first entered the TARDIS.

“Right, and let me guess, the T for Time means its also a Time Machine? Hahaha!” Maestro laughed, leaning against the rails.

“Well ... Yeah” Maestro looked back at Spike. With the laughter out of his system, he finally took notice that Spike wasn't quite pleased with the pony's reaction.

“ ... You're serious, and not just about the spaceship bit, but about the time travel too?” he asked. Spike nodded, with his arms crossed as he stared back at the Maestro. The pony looked back at the machine and started to walk back around it. He then took notice at the circular symbols engraved in the router overhead. He squinted as if it were staring at hieroglyphics.

“Spike, what are those symbols up there?” Maestro asked.

“I don't know actually, but they're the Doctor's language. Actually, I honestly don't know why I'm telling you this, you obviously are skeptic” Spike explained

“Well that wasn't very nice to say, and how could you say that to me. I am not a skeptic. I mean just look at me, I'm as impossible as the idea that Time Travel is impossible”

“Then why didn't you take me seriously?”

“Because when I think Time machine, the first thing that doesn't come to mind is a phonograph speaker” he pointed to the big horn poking out of the machines compact body. He started to chuckle at the goofy thing. Spike looked up at it and also realized this too. The Maestro had tricked the dragon to think he didn't believe him, but all of this information. Sure the spaceships and time travel were still a little off, but how can he doubt it. After all he is talking to a dragon, a young one nonetheless. The two were thrown out of the laugh once the Cloister Bells tolled again.

“Ah! What's that?!” The Maestro yelled as the bell rang.

“I think the Doctor calls them the Cloister Bells! They only ring when the TARDIS detects something dangerous!” Spike answered through the loud bell tolls. The aqua lighting turned red again.

“So that's why they rang before? It thought I was dead?” The Maestro asked.

“Uh-huh! But why would it be toll now, you're okay ... Unless ...” Spike stopped mid-way through his sentence, thinking about a possible worse going on outside those doors.

“Unless what?!” The Maestro asked,

“Unless the Doctor is in danger, and if he’s in danger then so is Twilight, and Ditzy, and Pinkie Pie, and the Town!” Spike yelled. The Maestro raised an eyebrow, barely understanding how a ringing bell could tell Spike that his friends are in danger. Spike immediately grabbed the Maestro, pulled him by the hoof to the doors.

“Wait a minute! But how do you know that they are in danger?!” the Maestro asked, nearly tripping on the stairs.

“I don’t actually know, but the ship … it just knows, and I've got to find them!”

“Okay, so if it is telling you that they’re in danger, then why do I need to go?” the Maestro couldn't understand what was going on, slightly refusing to go before he was given a proper reason

“You are the main reason why those bells are going off!” Spike shouted, frustrated with the Maestro’s questioning.

“Excuse me, but how is it that I am the reason why the Doctor’s so called time machine is going crazy?! What did I do?!”

“Let’s see, hmm, oh right; you crashed out of a time portal, destroyed my home, your body keeps blasting weird golden light, and you’re obviously more troublesome to take care of than I expected; for Pete’s sake you died and came back to life!”

The Maestro stopped talking.

“Now because of something Ditzy and Pinkie Pie found at the Library, their lives might be in a peril. When those bells toll, that must mean that the Doctor is in danger as well” Spike continued on.

Maestro paid no attention to the bells now; zoning them out with his thoughts. His mind was deeply focused on the words Spike had said, rattling around in deep concentration. His heart felt slight heavy to this startling realization. He sat his rump down on the floor. His eyes were radically moved around the room, taking nothing in, but the fact that he’s turned this innocent creature’s day, as well as his friend’s day into one of danger. If only he didn't have that dumb Amnesia. Spike looked down at the Maestro and sighed, now wishing to take back what he said.

“Maestro … I’m sorry” Spike apologized, “I shouldn't have said that, especially with this Amnesia thing you have going on. Truly I am Mister Maestro. The sheer thought of having no memory of your past, of who you are, where you come from, or who your real family is … something I can truly understand” Spike started to think about his situation. Twilight meant so much to him as a friend, as a mentor, and even as a sister. Heck, sometimes she can even play like a mother, or at least when she tries to act as such when the dragon acts out. To see this older pony who seemed to have lost everything, with his hooves clinging to the blanket ever tighter than before, has somehow created a sincere sympathy and understanding to the Maestro’s dilemma.

“You know, seeing you in that blanket reminded me of the nights Twilight would tuck me in it.” Spike said, “I was a slight jealous actually that she gave it to you, after all it was mine, but I grew old out of it … one thing I've learned growing up with Twilight is that Friendship is important. To share this blanket is another way to sort of show that importance.” Spike’s motivational pep talk made the Maestro smile at the blanket, but he lost out once figuring out what must be done.

“Now I can understand if you don’t want to go, but please understand that if something bad has happened …”

“Stop right there Spike, now I know I maybe glum right now, and it’s pretty simple to see what we’re going to do this very instant” the Maestro said, interrupting Spike’s sentence.

“Save Twilight and my friends?” Spike looked up at the Maestro.

“AAAAAND grab a quick bite of some delicious apples, I have a craving for apples!” the Maestro said while wrapping the blanket around his torso.

“After we save them, right?” Spike asked, a little confused of the out of place statement

“Before, after, in between, does it really matter? Let’s get out of here. Those bells are really starting to drive me nuts!” the Maestro said, covering his ears with his hooves.

“Right! Then let’s get a move on!” the baby dragon cheered for this sudden enthusiasm coming from the Maestro. Spike pulled back the door, and jumped right out with the Maestro behind. The unicorn gasped at the glorious site of Ponyville. His eyes took in everything; the buildings and the bridge, the trees and the grass, the river and the skies, the colors and the sunlight, and the smell of fresh air was so overwhelming for him. The Maestro turned around to shut the door, but stopped in his tracks to another unimaginable site. Instead of a huge mansion, like he expected to see walking out of those doors, there was an eight foot tall blue wooden box. His jaw dropped, until Spike snapped him out of it.

“What? But how?! Spike, do you see that?!” the unicorn said, nearly falling back at the site of the police box.

“Yes, it’s Smaller on the Outside. We don’t have time for this; we need to get to Twilight, now!” Spike urged as he grabbed the pony by the blanket.

“I was actually gonna say that how is it made out of wood, but sure, that too. Do you mind not running so fast, I still got myself a splitting headache!” the Maestro shouted as he followed Spike into the streets of Ponyville. The TARDIS’ Cloister Bells continued on as the console monitor was repeatedly beeping and flashing: MEDICAL DATA COMPLETE