The Stranger From The Vortex

Ponyville’s sunny and cheery day kept almost every pony with an utmost confidence to go through it with little to no trouble at all. Though the boom from the Golden Oaks library caught many of the towns folk's’ attention, it didn’t necessarily scare them as her scientific experiments have always had these similar effects in the past. Luckily for Twilight, Ditzy, Pinkie, and The Doctor, there seemed to be no activity going on around the Library. However, just to be safe, Twilight used her magic and teleported herself and her friends to the door.

“You know, I’m still not use to that. It leaves my body feeling a little tipsy” the Doctor commented.

“Oh no, just look at this tree” Twilight groaned out. The others soon took notice to what Twilight was looking at. The leaves, the branches, the bark, the sap, and the roots moving along the ground were looking greyer and sicker than they were when Twilight and Spike left the house. Heck, the tree looked far worse than earlier when Ditzy and Pinkie dropped by. Owlowiscious looked up at the tree and cringed.

“It’s alright Owlowiscious; you don’t have to go in with us. In fact, go to Fluttershy’s. I’m sure if she’s there or not, it would be safe for you if you stay. Ok?” Twilight asked of her pet bird. It shook its head and rubbed itself against her cheeks. Spike hugged the Owl before it finally flew away to Fluttershy’s home.

“This doesn’t look good at all. Well we better get started before-” the Doctor suddenly cringed when he and the others heard a familiar voice.

“Yoo-hoo, Twilight! Oooh Twilight, is that you my dear?” the four ponies turned back to see Ponyville’s very own fashionista taking her time, walking over to the group.

“Rarity! Hi!” Twilight said with a fake smile on her face.

“Hello dear, how have you been?” Rarity asked as she hugged Twilight, rolling her eyes at her friend interrupting their mission.

“Oh you know, just … hanging out with my friends” Twilight said. Rarity then noticed the others behind Twilight.

“Hello, Pinkie Pie. Good day, Miss Hooves Oh … hello, Dr. Clockwork” Rarity waved her hoof at the two mares, but changed her tone once she saw The Doctor.

“Hi, Rarity!” Pinkie Pie enthusiastically greeted.

“Hi Rarity, and its Doo; Ditzy Doo, remember?” Ditzy reminded.

“Oh yes, quite right, but I find hooves much more unique. Wouldn’t you say so, Clockwork?” Rarity said as she slowly approached The Doctor.

“Y-y-yeah. Kinda have to agree with that …” the Time Lord said, feeling awkward at the moment. Even after a thousand years, talking to flirty girls wasn’t something he'd seemed to have a full handle on.

“Soooo, Rarity! What are you doing here? Right now? And not at the shop making your dresses?” Twilight said, getting in between her friend and The Doctor.

“Oh darling, can’t a friend just drop by without being questioned why?” Rarity innocently asked, still having her eyes on The Doctor.

“Yeah, can’t she?!” Pinkie added. Twilight rolled her eyes as she pulled Pinkie back to her side.

“Come on Rarity, this you we’re talking about. There has to be a reason” Twilight acknowledged.

“Fine, you got me. Was it that obvious?” Rarity said, pouting her lips.

“Yes, now what is it you’re here for?” Twilight asked.

“Being the highest of fashion here in Ponyville, I need to keep up with the latest trends. But I’ve had a brilliant idea of bringing back top hats with my latest design for a jacket I'm putting together for stallions” Rarity explained.

“So why do you need me?”

“You didn't let me finish. So the reason I'm here is because I remember you having such a book of historical fashion references of the past 200 years”

“Oh you mean the 'Who's who and What's what in Fashion: Three Centuries of the Art of Fashion' right?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, that one; so if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to borrow it” Rarity said as she walked past her friends to the door.

“NO!” Pinkie and Ditzy jumped in front of her, and caused Rarity to fall back on her romp.

“What?! Pinkie! Miss Hooves! Why did you do that?!” she demanded, getting herself up from the grass. Rarity didn't take notice of the dying grass or the many sickening details of the tree, but she definitely had her eyes on the mail-mare and the party pony.

“Because!” Pinkie said

“Because what?!” Rarity growled.

“Because … I don't have it!” Twilight said.

“What? But how? After all, I saw it yesterday next to those old scrolls you were reading” Rarity clearly remembered.

“Oh ... Right, well you see ... Uhm” Twilight tried to come up with an excuse, but nothing could come to her head.

“Yes?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

“Well it’s obvious isn't it?” The Doctor said, butting into the sentence.

“What is, sweet Clockwork?” Rarity asked, looking straight into his eyes.

“If Twilight doesn't have it, then someone must have obviously borrowed it. After all, this is a Library, right?” The Doctor explained.

“Riiiight. You’re so smart, Dr. Clockwork” Rarity complemented.

“Yes, I know” The Doctor agrees.

“Well if that's true ...” Rarity said, grabbing his Bowie, making him feel very awkward, “THEN WHO HAS IT!” Rarity gripped the bow tie and growled out loud.

“Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie blurted out.

“Fluttershy?” Rarity asked, surprised to hear of all the ponies to borrow the book that it was Fluttershy who asked. She let go of the Doctor who fixed his bow tie and gasped for aid. Ditzy walked to him and happily fixed his tie.

“Y-Yeah, she stopped by this morning, and asked if she can borrow it” Twilight explained.

“Really?” Rarity asked, suspicious of the possibility.

“Uh-huh! She even stopped by Sugar Cube Corner, telling me how she was preparing her own dresses. And I've got to say, she is doing really good” Pinkie Pie added.

“How good?” Rarity asked.

“When I say good … I mean REALLY GOOD. So good, it could even rival YOUR dresses that you prepared for us for the Grand Galloping Gala coming up this week!” Pinkie Pie said, making Rarity gasp at the thought of her dress being rivaled by Fluttershy's.

“No way!” Rarity gasped.

“Yes way!” Twilight and Pinkie Pie said together, worrying their friend more.

“Looks like that I'll need to pay a visit to Fluttershy's. Excuse me girls and Clockwork, but I must be leaving. Ta-Ta!” Rarity said, rushing back to her home. She growled and ground her teeth together as she walked away from the ponies. Twilight turned back to her friends and all of them started to laugh at how they went along with the surprise visit by Rarity. Especially the Doctor, who was happy to see the fashionista quickly walk away.

“HAHAHAHA! Oh, oh my, now that ... that was hilarious” he said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“HAHAHA! ... Yes-hmm" twilight said, taking in some air as the moment was dying down “Okay, okay. As hilarious as that was, I think it's time we got down to business with this Ooze thing you two saw”

“Right! Derpy, do you have the hazmat suits I designed for Ponies?” The Doctor asked.

“Right here, and I stitched them with our cutie marks” Ditzy said, pulling them out of her mailbag. The Doctor soon took notice of this, and smiled at his assistant, but lost it when he realized that there was only two.

“Uhm, Derpy. Didn’t I tell you to get four?” he asked.

“No, you said two” Ditzy corrected.

“No I said get two pairs” The Doctor said.

“Yeah, but then I thought to myself, why would he want two pears? He hates pears” she explained, obviously getting confused with his request.

“I don't mean PEARS, I meant PAIRS. Like pairs of shoes or pairs of pants!” The Doctor’s examples confused the bunch.

“Shoes? Pants? You’re talking crazy again, Doctor” Ditzy said.

“Oh forget it!” The Doctor said, rubbing his scalp in frustration, “Okay, then I guess two of us will have to stay behind, and two of us will have to go in and deal with the Vortexnia Siconous Dibrandis.”

“I’ve had enough stomach churning experiences for today, so I’ll stay here and keep an eye out for anything” Pinkie said, saluting the Doctor and immediately scouting out the place with her eyes.

“Okay, so who’s the lucky mare to come with The Doctor? Oh I know, how about we flip a coin, what do you say to that?”

“Yay!” Ditzy cheered.

“A coin, are you serious right now? At a time such as this, and besides you didn’t even explain what we’re dealing with is dangerous or not” Twilight mentioned.

“You know battles have been won by flipping a coin” The Doctor added as Ditzy pulled out a coin.

“Name three?” Twilight dared.

“The Battle of Glastnoc Six between the Slitheens and Sontarans, The Battle of Davros’ Dalek Army and the Time Lords in the Last Great Time War, and the Battle of Jelly Babies and Bananas back when I was human … sad lost for the Jelly Babies that day. Now, let’s see who it’s going to be!” The Doctor so enthusiastically said he flipped the coin in the air and caught it. The Doctor slapped it onto his hoof and looked back at the two.

“Which one do you choose girls? Will it be heads or tails?” The Doctor asked.

“I pick heads” Twilight answered.

“Heads … I-I mean, Tails!” Ditzy corrected himself. The Doctor took a peek and smiled.

“Well Miss Sparkle, get that hazmat suit on because it’s about to get a little icky and sticky in there.”

“Aw” Ditzy said, disappointed with the end results.

“Sorry Ditzy” Twilight apologized with the suit in her hooves.

“Oh that’s alright Twilight, at least The Doctor is with a friend of mine to keep him company” Ditzy accepted.

“Oh Derpy, don’t be sad there. Listen, next time, you get to put on the hazmat suit when we’re in the presence of a dangerous threat that could end all life on this Earth, okay?” The Doctor’s subtleness didn’t play too well for Twilight, but it definitely brought a smile to Ditzy’s face. Her bubbly personality definitely stuck out with positivity.

“Okay, but be careful in there. I don’t want to see any vomit on my cutie mark stitches!” Ditzy made a scrunchy face at The Doctor, who only chuckled back at its cuteness.

“I promise. Now both of you stay out here, no matter what happens, do not come in. Do you understand?” The Doctor requested as Twilight, now with the full suit on, helped the Time Lord put his helmet on.

“Yes sir!” Ditzy and Pinkie saluted.

“Alright then; Come on Twilight, time to take a dip in that ooze. Geronimo!” the Doctor said as he opened the door and took a plunge into the Library. Twilight followed right after, and shut the door behind her.

***

       Ten Minutes after going into the Library, and all away across the town, Spike and the now fully energized Maestro were quickly pacing themselves through the busy Market to get to the four ponies. The Maestro nearly had his jaw hanging to the ground as his eyes were looking over here and over there and over yonder at the numerous ponies around him. Each one with different colors, different sizes and shapes different genders and ages, and even different types. There were Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns like him walking through the Market. There were stores and kiosks and vendors selling with customers buying to their hearts content.

“Yowzah! Look at this place; IT; IS; AMAZING!” he shouted; nearly catching many ponies attention. He didn’t have time to notice that the blanket around him was nearly torn up and mangled with some dirt as it dragged a little behind him. Spike soon took notice and frowned at the Maestro’s careless hold of the bed sheet.

“Can you be careful with the blanket, please?” Spike asked, catching the Maestro’s attention to tie it up again; firmly around his waist. Suddenly his stomach started to growl again, loud enough for Spike to hear as well.

“Owwww, that hurts. Hey Spike, I know Twilight means a whole lot to you, and I’m sure with those bells tolling that it might mean that something might have happened to her and The Doctor, but I am starting to get really hungry right about now. Ooof!” The Maestro asked, stopping to wrap a hoof around his belly.

“Are you serious? Like right now?” Spike asked.

“Yes, it is definitely an emergency. I don’t think my body can hold on much longer to the hunger. Agh!” The Maestro groaned.

“Fine, let’s try and get you something to eat, and quickly” Spike said. He turned around, eyeing for any food cart he could see. Onions; maybe, but he won’t like that bad breath. Raisins … hmm, maybe not? Prunes won’t work, he’s not old yet … or is he? Let’s see, he’ll need something that’ll keep him full … Now what’s healthy and keeps me full right after? Ah-ha! Spike found a cart of Durians, and grabbed the Maestro. They ran up to the cart where a light yellow pony with a green swirly mane stood by. She looked down at Spike as he held up three bits for one of her Durians. She sliced the fruit open to reveal its innards.

“Here, have this.” Spike said, holding the fruit up to the Maestro. The unicorn instantly grabbed it and took one big chunk out of the fruit. The dragon sighed with relief to see the unicorn eating, until he suddenly watched the Maestro groan and run off. He raised an eyebrow and followed the unicorn, but stopped once he could hear the horrific sounds of vomiting. Spike cringed at each vomit, but looked back to see the Maestro waddle back towards him. He wiped his mouth and shook his head.

“Yuck! That was disgusting, what was that awful fruit?!” the Maestro asked.

“A Durian, you really didn’t like that?” Spike asked.

“That is possibly, the worst fruit I ever ate! You like that?” the Maestro spat out some leftover vomit.

“I actually do, even though most of my friends would rather eat tree bark than a Durian. Maybe it wasn’t a good choice.” Spike said, thinking about it over.

“Gee, really?! Now my stomach is emptier than before! Can’t you find me anything else?” the Maestro begged.

“Alright! Ugh, let’s get this over with” Spike groaned.

       For the next five to ten minutes, he would regret this decision as the Maestro went on a hunger spree. His mouth took chunks of food in and spat them right back out … or worse, vomited the foods right back out. Almost every fruit, almost every vegetable, almost every delectable meal from sandwiches to salads to even fatty goods had him feeling sick to the stomach and hungrier than before. Spike only had five bits left, getting him even more frustrated.

“Agh! You call that a meal?!” the Maestro said to the owner of a cinnamon bun stand, “I’d rather eat Dirt than that piece of garbage!”

“Listen buddy, you asked for it, and if you didn’t like it then it sucks to be you! Now I don’t care if you think it’s garbage, you gotta pay me up, right now!” the owner said in a Manehattan accent.

“Ugh, alright, but four bits for that is highway robbery! Spike, pay the man and let’s leave this sad excuse for a cinnamon bun kiosk” the Maestro demanded.

“Wait, you said it was two bits; how can it now be four?!” Spike asked, stunned to hear the price increased by double.

“It was, until I bought this water … THE ONLY THING THAT ACTUALLY TASTES GOOD AROUND HERE!” the Maestro shouted around, looking at the other food stands and their angry owners.

“Uhm, Maestro. I only have two; you should have told me that you wanted a bottle of water! I can’t pay him for your mistake!” Spike said.

“Oh, I see … look, about that cinnamon thing. You know that I was only kidding right? A-A-A joke, right?” the Maestro said, with an innocently fake smile on his face. He nervously chuckled as the big earth pony looked down at him.

“Sure, sure, but tell me, are you still interested in this other food I got. It’s free and for customers just like you” the vendor mentioned, with a menacing tone in his voice. He walked around the kiosk, getting Spike nervous and exciting the Maestro.

“Really? Oh how exciting because maybe then we can trade my sorry for that?” The Maestro asked.

“You’ll be sorry alright, and don’t worry; I’ll give you two of my specials. One for you and your little dragon friend” the vendor said, walking slowly up to the two.

“That’s fantastic, so what is it?” the Maestro eagerly asked.

“I call it … DIRT!” the vendor said as he grabbed the two. The other food owners noticed this, and cheered as they heard a neigh and two bucking punches. The Maestro and Spike screamed as they were bucked hard in the bellies, and were sent sky high and out of the Market place.

“And stay out! If I see you two back here again, I’ll not only mess up your lunches, but your faces too!” the vendor shouted, getting an unexpected victory cry from the other sellers. He bowed before going back to his spot as other customers came in. Spike and The Maestro were split apart and landed nearly half a mile away. Spike screamed as he landed face first into the ground, breaking the dirt and catching it in his mouth. He groaned for a moment and shook his head, rubbing it with his hands.

“Spike?!” a familiar voice called out to him. He looked right up and saw the most majestic site straight from the heavens above. It was Rarity and he landed right outside of her Shop.

***

       The Doctor and Twilight looked up at the sudden make over to the Library. The Library looked like the scene of a murder, but instead of blood splattered everywhere, it was the blotches of ooze going along the destroyed Library. Below their hooves, they could feel the potent black slime, bubbling like hot oil. Luckily for them, the suits could stand the heat, but they couldn’t see the mist that was forming around them. The windows were sealed up with the Ooze. Twilight was in shock to see her home left in such an utter mess.

“Doctor, this … this is completely unimaginable” Twilight said, sighing as her eyes kept seeing layer upon layer of destruction.

“Well that’s what happens when you open a rift in time and space, you never know what’ll come out of it. Trust me, I have that kind of experience” The Doctor said, “In fact I remember this one time when I-”

“Doctor! Can’t you see what’s going on? This thing Ditzy and Pinkie found has turned my house into a swamp of black goo. Just look at the windows, they’re sealed up. And my feet are obviously stepping in it, and my books … oh my lovely books must be in ruins after this! So can we please start explaining what we’re dealing with?!” Twilight demanded. The Doctor frowned, but knew that she was right.

“Okay, so let’s start at the beginning.” he began, “In the beginning when the universe was created, so was the Time Vortex. Stars and planets and moons and asteroids and atoms and particles and elements and organisms grew out of this explosion, as well as evolve along with the Vortex. Now most species don’t know the existence of the Vortex, again you like every other creature I’ve met think Time is a linear line, when it’s really more complex”

“By complex, about how much do you say?” Twilight asked.

“I know I’ve said this before, but think of it as a ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey … stuff. And some of this stuff has been able to grow and living inside the Vortex” the Doctor explained, pulling out a radiation meter.

“Like your people, the Time Lords?” Twilight asked.

“No.” The Doctor continued, “The Time Lords were only exposed to the Vortex, giving us our abilities to regenerate and live for a very long time within one incarnation. No, there are some creatures who have actually evolved to live inside the vortex. I’ve battled some, but the Vortex Ooze is one I’ve always tried to avoid.”

“How so?” Twilight asked as the Doctor held up his radiation meter to the misty floor. The two weren’t noticing the sap coming straight out of a crack in the wall.

“About five million light years ago, back in my universe, Gallifrey faced a plague that came from the Vortex itself. It was unbelievably horrible. Much like the black plague, it left death in its wake. Children, adults, and even the elders were dying off for seven centuries. It would die down, but then begin again. Now my people were gifted with knowledge, but the Vortex Ooze was unpredictable, adapting to almost every possible era of time to fit the disease”

“Like an ever evolving virus!” Twilight said as she opened the door to her laboratory. A green glow was coming from below crack in the wall as the ooze kept seeping out.

“Exactly, and it was so powerful that it took the might of our Lord President, Rassilon himself to stop the virus. He nearly wiped it out of time itself by going to the moment of creation of the vortex and using his gauntlet to completely erase the virus from history. However he knew the paradoxes would be too impossible to fix it, so instead he scattered every version of the virus to other planets as small illnesses across the universe.” The Doctor explained. He noticed how the glass on his helmet was starting to get foggy. He rubbed it, noticing how the ooze was still scattered across the walls, even seeping from the roots overhead.

“That’s insane, only a mad stallion would do that” Twilight commented.

“You’d be surprise how mad and corrupted a great society like the Time Lords can be after 50 million years of isolation and several Time Wars. Legend has it that Rassilon kept the original virus, sentient in being, locked in the Vortex. Never to be released under any circumstances.” the Doctor finished.

“So how could it have been let loose here in my home? I mean, not unless it came out of the time spell I made” Twilight asked.

“Well if it did come through the rift that you conjured up with your ‘time spell’ then it could be possible that it was just living inside it waiting for some kind of life form or ship to jump on to take the chance to escape”

“So wait, then that means that it could have come in when the Maestro came out of the vortex too!” Twilight realized.

“Yes, and sadly the rift has been closed. The radiation in here is dangerously high, so whatever you do, be careful and don’t get your suit damaged.” The Doctor reminded

“You don’t have to tell me twice” Twilight said as she pulled out a small case from her saddle using her magic. She laid it on the tables of her now ruined science tools. She opened it and looked at the weird device on the inside, resembling a vacuum cleaner in design.

“What is this?” she asked.

“It’s a gift I got from the hospital planet of Heathronion II. Sort of a virus cleaner, I’ve adjusted it to take on the Vortex Ooze, and it can last for about thirty minutes in this radiation. I suggest we start working on it right away” The Doctor said as he started to program the machinery. Twilight watched over his methods to activate it, whilst the ooze finally sunk right out of the crack in the wall. The central green orb of the Vortex Ooze slowly swirled in the misty floor, pulling in the pool of slime together as well as the many blobs sticking to the wall. Slowly and surely the Vortex Ooze pulled itself together to create something unexpected for Celestia’s Top Student and The Time Lord.

***

       A good couple minutes had passed by as did the customers in the Market, but off in a bush several yards away was the tired and hungry body of the Maestro. Thanks to that vendor at the cinnamon bun stand from earlier, he lied there taking a small nap up against the ground and bush, with dirt in his mouth. He was snoring for a while, until suddenly his mind woke up again. Instead of a shocking wake up call, the Maestro’s nap was interrupted by a wooden wheel of a cart that rolled into his face.

“Ow!” he yelped as the cart wheel hit his forehead. He rubbed his forehead while the two ponies who were pulling the cart stopped once the Maestro pulled himself out of the bush. He shook his head, trying to get a steady look at what woke him up, but the sunlight pierced his eyes. The Maestro groaned and shielded his eyes from the sun, until two shadows walked up to him. He looked up and squinted before finally seeing a female Earth Pony and a filly beside her.

“Uh-oh, are you alright mister?” the older pony said, with a southern accent.

“I … think so. Sorry, but it seems that your cart woke me up from my … dirt nap, hehe” the Maestro said, still shaking his head as he now a clear vision at the two ponies. The older pony had a light orange coat, looking more like a light brilliant gamboge, and a blonde color to her mane and tail with an olive tint to them. He took notice of her red scrunchie wrapped near the end of her hair. The Maestro’s eyes quickly took account her Stetson hat, making her look really cool, as well as three white freckles on her cheeks, and especially the marvelous sap green pupils of her eyes.

“Dang it little sister, I told you to be careful with that cart” the orange pony said to her young filly companion.

“Sorry big sis’ I wasn’t listening because I was giggling” the little one said, tipping off to the Maestro that these two were related. He soon also quickly took notice of the young filly’s yellow coat, very similar to the color of her older sister’s mane, as well as the color of her eyes as same as her older sister’s coat. The filly’s light red hair was topped with a big and cute pink bow on top.

“Now apologize to this unicorn before he gets anymore mad” the older sister demanded. The young filly’s eyes looked up at the Maestro, big and sad as he stared back. Even her sadness made his heart flutter at its cuteness.

“Oh it’s alright, I’m sure she didn’t mean it. Right little filly?” The Maestro asked, smiling down at her

“Yes sir!” she said, turning that frown upside down.

“I understand, but my little sister needs to be more careful when we go out to the market” the pony with a Stetson explained

“The Market, you say? Why, are you off to buy something? Because if you are, don’t. That place is horrible, and I don’t mean the vendors, the food too. Yuck!” the Maestro asked, turning back to the general direction he flew from.

“No, no, we’re just off to sell our treats to some hungry customers” the older pony said. Suddenly the word hungry made his stomach growl, and the slight headache came back to him.

“Aow!” the Maestro groaned, feeling the pain of an empty stomach made him sit back down.

“Are you alright there sugar cube?!” the older sister asked. The younger filly walked beside him as her sister checks his head.

“Don’t worry about it my dear, it’s just a slight hunger cramp; you see-Ow! I haven’t eaten at all today, and when you said ‘hungry’ Agh! Well my stomach and brain started to act up again. All I need to do is find my dragon friend and get to some kind of eatery. That Market is terrible when it comes to food … sushi, avocados, tofu, tangerines, oh don’t get me started on the durians!” the Maestro explained.

“Apple Bloom, get this stallion here one of our apples. Don’t worry sir, everything’s gonna be just fine. By the way, my name’s Applejack” the older sister said, shaking the Maestro’s hoof.

“Maestro, the name’s Maestro. Oh thank you Apple … Seed?” he asked, trying to remember the little one’s name

“Apple Bloom sir, and here, takes it. You look like you really need it” Apple Bloom said, passing a red shiny apple to the unicorn. He looked at it and took one big bite, hoping this time that his stomach would like it. All of a sudden, the Maestro’s taste buds sent shocks throughout his entire body. Bits of the apple were smushed in his jaw as the juices flowed along his tongue. The chunks and bits of apple went down his throat, and splashed inside the acid pool of his stomach. The sweet nectar of the fruit made him moan with sheer delight! Fireworks were going off everywhere inside his mouth and mind.

“MMMMM!” he muffled with the fruit in his mouth. This was just his first bite, and a smile just grew across his face. He gulped the most delicious meal of his entire existence, and he cherished the next bite more than the first one. Applejack and Apple Bloom smiled at each other to see the stranger happy with their apple. Soon enough the Maestro finished the fruit, feeling warm and fuzzy inside his own belly. His stomach no longer growled and his head ache slightly left.

“So how was it?” Apple Bloom asked with a big smile.

“Apple Bloom, Applejack, that was the best piece of fruit I’ve ever had in my entire existence” The Maestro exclaimed.

“Well that’s mighty kind of you to say so Mister Maestro, sir” Applejack said.

“I’m just sad that I can’t repay you back with bits because, you see, I’ve lost my dragon friend” The Maestro explained, “Maybe you know him. About yay high, purple scales, green spikes along his back, and green lizard eyes.”

“You mean Spike? You’re friends with Spike?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yes, if you can say that under these circumstances” he said, thinking about it.

“Well we saw him just a couple minutes ago with Rarity. Boy does that Dragon love that gal so much, ain’t that right Apple Bloom? Haha!” Applejack laughed as Apple Bloom giggled with her.

“That would be Fantastic. Where at did you see him with this Rarity pony you speak of?” the Maestro excitedly asked.

“At the Carousel Boutique” Apple Bloom said

“Right … Sorry, forgot to mention. I’m new around here, so do you mind if I could get directions to this shop you speak of, if that’s alright?” The Maestro asked.

“Fine by me, Mister Maestro. All you gotta do is just go down this here road, turn a left, and then a right and straight down a road past the post office. You’ll see a big colorful shop that looks like a carousel. You can’t miss it!” Applejack explained, giving simple directions to the Maestro.

“Great! Now don’t you move one inch from here. I’ll be back with my bits before you can say, Yee-Haw!” the Maestro said as he started to gallop away.

“No problem, we’ll be setting up right here. Take your time Mister Maestro, come back now ya hear?!” Apple Bloom shouted. Suddenly they saw the stranger come back and hug them tightly.

“Thank you both so very-” The Maestro kissed Applejack’s cheek, “, very-” and then kissed Apple Bloom’s forehead, “VERY much for all the hospitality! Bye!” He galloped away, leaving the sister’s blushing at his hospitality.

***

       Ditzy Doo and Pinkie Pie were beginning to get bored after Twilight and The Doctor walked into the Library. Eventually the two laid down on the grass, and started to play some simple card games.

“Hit or stay?” Ditzy asked, looking so bored.

“Hit me!” Pinkie dared. Ditzy planted another card, face down.

“Hit or Stay?” she asked again.

“Hit me!” Pinkie dared, again.

“Hit or Stay?” she asked once again, losing the mood to keep playing.

“HIT ME!” Pinkie cheered this time. At this point, Pinkie had five cards, and though she wasn’t totally focused, Ditzy looked at her cards doubt that Pinkie would win.

“Hit or stay?” Ditzy asked.

“Final time. I say … HIT ME!” Pinkie Pie dared with a devious smile on her face. Ditzy slapped the card face down.

“Draw!” Ditzy shouted with confidence. The two flipped their cards and it came out to be that Pinkie Pie was the winner of this blackjack game with four 4’s and an Ace card, making it 21 while Ditzy had two 10’s, making it 20 for her.

“I WIN! I WIN! I WIN!” Pinkie said, bouncing around Ditzy who was frowning.

“Dang it! I really need to shuffle these cards better!” she frustratingly said.

“That was fun, up for another game? How about Pony Poker? Go Fish? Pegasus Poker? Lunarjack? Celestial Casino?!” Pinkie said, making tricks with the card in her hooves.

“No” she sighed, “I rather just take a bite of another Doctor muffin” She said as she suddenly lost the mood in playing card games after nearly half an hour. Ditzy wished for another of those Doctor muffins as she looked up at the sickly Library, wondering about her friends inside.

“Why do you look so glum, Ditzy?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“It’s just … well, after these past couple of months going away with the Doctor, it’s been a real blast, but I keep wondering if he does it just because he’s very alone” Ditzy thought about the times she caught the Doctor looking glum, especially when she or the others he knew weren’t with him. When he arrived, he said that he was about 1500 years old and now he was 1603 the day on her birthday. What does he do in that time? Is he on adventures? Does he sulk about being the last time lord? Or is he just trying to push them away, trying to make sure he leaves them without being fully attached.

“What do you mean? How can he be alone when he has me, you, Twilight, Spike, and Octavia who lives with Vinyl Scratch?” Pinkie Pie asked

“The thing is that I keep seeing that he is alone out there, in space and time. He told me how he's lost his friends, and I may not be the brightest of the bunch, but I know that not all good things last forever” she explained.

“Why are you thinking about this? Is it because he went into a library with a dangerous creature ready to leave a plague on us Ponies or is it because he went in with Twilight instead?” Pinkie Pie asked. Ditzy didn't respond, and though she preferred to be with him than Twilight at this moment, she mostly focused on how lonely he felt.

It reminded her of a time when she was alone; feeling alienated by the other ponies of Ponyville and Clouds Dale. At the time, she only knew Carrot Top, Pinkie Pie, and felt like to even know Rainbow Dash through her schooling. With the Doctor, her friends now went beyond to those three and soon she became less alienated in Ponyville. Thanks to this alien from another galaxy, she no longer felt like the town doofus, even if she was clumsy at times. Yet, as she laid there feeling sad, Pinkie Pie thought up of a plan to make her friend smile again. She looked right around and recognized that very familiar path up ahead back to Sugar Cube Corner, and a light bulb popped over her head. The light flickered a bit, but Ditzy didn't take notice. Pinkie grabbed the bulb and shook it

“Ditzy, this lookout is leaving me a bit peckish. How about I go and grab us some treats down at Sugar Cube Corner. I got some banana muffins at the shop” Pinkie Pie said in a sing-song tone. The Pegasus looked up and smiled a bit, she then nodded to Pinkie Pie who walked off to get the sugary snacks. Ditzy rested to keep thinking about the time lord who's hiding his loneliness behind a mask that even her abnormal eyes could see through.

***

The Doctor’s so called, “Virus Cleaner” was whirring and beeping as he and Twilight Sparkle were adjusting it for their mission. Twilight used her magic to scoop up the ooze along the walls into three large glass tubes. She then stuck them into the machine, and watched as it lit up. Seconds went by as The Doctor adjusted the dials alongside the gadget, before finally the once black ooze turned into a pure white slime. The machine dinged, indicating that the final step to activate it was complete. Suddenly a long hose like structure with a funnel at the end of it popped out in a goofy manner.

“Doctor, what’s that?” Twilight asked.

“This? It’s a basically the funnel where this light liquid will come out as a foam. The foam is active with a semi-proper elements to actually dissipate the Vortex Ooze, but because it’s made up of too many illnesses, and it can quickly evolve to the foam then the best thing we can do is just shrink it down to size and contain it in this” The Doctor said as he pulled out a large jar.

“A jar? Really?” Twilight raised an eyebrow at The Doctor.

“Hey! A jar can be really good at holding in all kinds of things; which reminds me, I’ve got to move those jar of gems for Spike’s birthday later” The Doctor commented, “No time to waste, ready with the jar Miss Sparkle! The Doctor’s here to make a House Call!”

The Doctor pulled a cord and string, motorizing the machine and splashing the foam at the walls where he saw the black slime oozing out of the walls. As the white foam touched the ooze, and just as expected, the living slime shrunk down to nearly nothing. The Doctor aimed it at the floor beneath them, and once again shrunk down.

“Haha! Fantastic!” The Doctor cheered, “Quickly Twilight, scoop up what you can shove it into the rear of this thing.”

“I’m on it!” Twilight said and used her magic to scoop up the ooze with The Doctor’s jar. She levitated the jar, and poured the weakened ooze into the Virus Cleaner. Lights along its side went from red, yellow, to green and another bleep popped from it. The Doctor got back to blasting the foam again, this time aiming it all around the place. With more in supply, the slime started to shrink even more than before now. There was still a lot to work to be done within the Library basement, but Twilight quickly grabbed the rest of the smaller and weaker slimes, pouring them into the Virus Cleaner. The Doctor soon noticed that the ooze began to retreat up the stairs back to the main floor of the Library.

“No way are you getting away! Come on Twilight, we're nearly got this thing oozing with fear from us” The Doctor said as he and Twilight followed its trail along the steps. Twilight went up ahead of him while he kept blasting at the roots at the floor to get rid of any low level substances of the ooze. He looked down at the entire basement and the basic pool of foam he's made out of it. The Doctor took notice of the sticky ooze left over on the wall and aimed his radiation meter at it; there was nothing, and just to make sure he quickly scanned it with the sonic screwdriver.

“And nothing, looks like we got this basement well under control. So Miss Sparkle, how's the upstairs look like now?” The Doctor asked, but stumbled as he backed up into his companion.

“Hey, why did you stop? I asked how the main-ooh ... is” He asked before finally turning around. Suddenly his mouth was agape as he now understood why she stopped. From the floor to the ceiling, both ponies stared at the enormous blob that was the Vortex Ooze. All of its slimed substances gathered to one pile, with an eerie suction and sloshing sounds coming from innards of the creature. A green aura started to emanate from the Vortex Ooze as it started to shift and bop from side to side. The tree shook and caused the two to get back to their senses, especially as the creature started to form slimy suction cupped tentacles.

“Doctor!” Twilight yelled as they started moving towards the door.

“Don’t worry, I got this!” The Doctor said as he turned the machine back on.

He rearranged the dials and switches to the maximum setting, and aimed the funnel at the creature. A blast of foam shot out of the funnel, and splattered on top of the Vortex Ooze that reacted with a horrifying below came as it felt a sizzling pain from what was coming out of the machine. The Doctor kept on shooting the foam all around this life form, with no joy at all. Though it was a threat, the screeches and howls coming from it easily indicated it as a biological creature that could feel, but to the Time Lord who understood its disastrous implications if left to live outweighed all of his moral rights to keep it alive in Equestria. Luckily with this foam, he can get it back into the vortex with hope that it can stay there for good. In a matter of minutes, the Ooze was entirely covered in the foam. The Doctor sighed with Twilight. It was over, conquering this ancient virus. Twilight and The Doctor hugged each other, and smiled over their victory. However the hug was short lived as their ears picked up a bubbling noise coming from the pile of foam. The Doctor and Twilight instantly turned around to see the liquid begin to boil and steam up as the tree started to rumble.

Outside Ditzy was spooked as the tree’s roots rattled and rocked the ground beneath her. She startled and jumped back a bit as the earth shook all around her and slowly moved out throughout the town. The Pegasus soon jumped up and flapped her wings to keep herself from falling over by the earthquake. She flew over to the windows, trying to figure out what was going on, but all of them were blocked by the ooze. That is except for the balcony on top of the tree. There was no sign of it up there, so she could easily open it.

“Doctor, look out!” Twilight yelled, catching Ditzy’s attention.

From downstairs, The Doctor and Twilight were ducking and dodging the tentacles of the Vortex Ooze. Miraculously it was able to concentrate on the foam and used its radiated energy to boil the foam. In fact, it was so powerful that it nearly left Twilight tumbling. The Doctor used the last of the foam in the tank and blasted her with it, keeping herself safe from the radiation as his hazmat suit was slowly burning away. Hopefully with him being a Time Lord, his immune system might resist the Ooze’s effects.

“Just stay behind me!” The Doctor said as he tossed the machine at the creature, only to have to jump back once its tentacles slapped it right back. They screamed and felt the ground shake as the black slime quickly started to slither its tentacles into the bark and wood of the Library, forcing its way into the very roots and ground leading outside of the house. At the same time, one of its own tentacles reached out for the two ponies.

“You guys, up here!” Ditzy yelled. They looked up and saw their bubbly friend call them from the upstairs room.

“Derpy, I told you to stay out!” The Doctor yelled as he and Twilight raced to the top of the stairs.

“How can I, when the entire Earth is shaking and the crashing going on in here?!” Ditzy screamed back. The tentacle slithered in the air as it was right behind the three. Twilight used her magic to levitate her furniture and tossed them down the stairs. Each one was split to pieces as the force of the tentacle shattered each one. She closed the door behind her and ran to the balcony. The Ooze busted open the door as she and the Doctor grabbed Ditzy's hooves. The Pegasus used all her strength and wing power to carry them away.

“Ditzy! Watch out for the tentacle!” Twilight yelled as the tentacle stretched out and slapped Ditzy from behind.

“Ah! Whoa!” She yelled as her wings cringed for a second, losing her focus on flying. The weight of her friends made Ditzy loose balance and quickly descend to the Earth. The three screamed as she tried to regain her flight again, but ultimately the unicorn, the Pegasus, and the Time Lord crashed into the only spot Ditzy could think of; Sugar Cube Corner. Back at the library, the tentacle retracted back to its owner before finally slipping through the roots of the tree and sink into the dirt. Slowly and forcefully, it moved its way from the Library and heading towards the heavily populated Market.