DOCTOR

by Deidorimu

One, Two, Five Steps: Part One (S1C6)

When he awoke, the first thing Dean noticed was the intense headache he had, absolutely pounding. As his senses returned to him slowly, he became aware of how badly his body hurt. Top to bottom he was sore, and he felt as if his very bones were made of lead. He was also excruciatingly tired, and was groggy as tarterus when he awoke. His head slumped over, rolling a bit, as he groaned. He heard someone speak, but was too sore and tired to care.

His mind went numb and Dean fell unconscious for a moment, at least, to him it was. When he awoke again, he was unware of the hours that passed.

Same as before, he started to awake and his senses returned to him. First he felt his head pound, then his body ache, and was aware of how tired he was. Except, in his body's own way of self defense, to awaken him, he saw something flash before his mind.

Images of a forest. It was dark and foggy, and he was running. A filly was laughing, only, it didn't sound entirely like a filly. He wanted to say it was, except, as he could only describe it, this filly sounded like a demon. He was panting, galloping through this forest. His heart was beating hard, and he felt himself in a state of life or death. He held a whip in his right hoof, and wore a hat, though, he couldn't remember what kind.

He stopped running and turned, and the moment he did he was attacked. Thrown off his hooves against a tree, landing to the ground holding his side. Looking to his attacker, he gasped.

She was a ghost, a phantom filly, smiling a wide, toothy smile that spilled a dark black liquid. It was then Dean remembered. He remembered arriving at the forest, and meeting Aster, and running through the forest, and entering that house by the lake, and fighting a phantom with a toy whip. He remembered being surrounded by corrupted ponies, and he remembered Discord, and the Doctor using his M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T to excavate the chaos. He remembered it all, everything, except what happened last.

It took him a moment; they were inside the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T, the Doctor and he. The Doctor was at his console, flipping switches and pressing buttons. While Dean stood by the open door. But . . . why would he do that?

That memory flashed suddenly. He remembered, the Doctor asked him to close the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T door. Something went wrong, he couldn't remember what. Whatever happened caused the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T to malfunction. It jerked, and Dean fell out the door. He remembered hanging there, calling for help, before the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T jerked again. He lost his grip and fell. Plummeting a hundred feet to the ground. The rocky ground approached and-

"HUUUGH!!!" Dean gasped. His body forced him awake in a cold sweat. His heart was beating, and he was panting. His bearings returned slowly, and the first thing Dean noticed was a pony speaking. Only, he didn't sound like anyone he knew, and the way he spoke, it wasn't towards him. So, Dean realized that he wasn't alone, there were more than one, and they were all strangers. That and, for some reason, they sounded upset.

The way they spoke, it sounded concerned or afraid, and one sounded out of breath; but they were all clearly upset. Dean didn't ask though, he was still waking up.

"He's awake!" one shouted. His voice was rather gravely, and sounded full of mucus, like he needed to clear his throat.

A second pony shouted. His was slightly lighter than the first and, curious to Dean, sounded somewhat eastern. A coastland pony perhaps? It had a hint of that classic mafia like accent, but predominantly held something from the east, Dean was sure of it. Maybe Philadelphian? "Keep your eye on- em! If he tries anyding funny, knock- em!"

"Why don't we just give him to the demon!?" the third pony shouted. That was the pony who sounded tired. Like the second pony, the third had that accent as well, only, his was far deeper. He sounded more like that dumb henchmen one would imagine in a stereotypical mafia, only, it was clear that only his voice expressed that. Unlike pony number two, pony number three annunciated properly, and didn't slur between words occasionally. Funny, a dumb voice on a smart pony, Dean found that odd.

Number one didn't have that accent, and number three was the only one who sounded tired, like he was struggling with something. But Dean was aware that all three must have been talking about him. And suddenly realized what number two had said about "knocking him". Knocking him with what?

Slowly, Dean lifted his head and blinked. His vision was blurry for a moment and slowly adjusted to the dark. He hadn't the foggiest where he was, and had no memory of coming here either. The best he could describe the room was a large metal box.

A perfect, ten by eight rectangle made of steel, its silver gray walls fading in color as rust was slowly taking over. Part of the metal were dented every here and there, enough so to open cracks that allowed tiny shimmers of light to enter. That was the only source of light the room had as, Dean noticed, the candles sprawled around the room were broken, smashed, or melted passed its use.

From Dean's position, he was on the south end of the room facing forward to the north end, where a set of faded blue, metal twin doors were placed. There were filing cabinets in a row along the entirety of the east wall and a cracked window beside the cabinets and door, placed on the corner in the north east, the only window in the room. To the west was a dirty, old, wooden desk scattered full of files and useless old papers, and filling cabinets beside the desk; two had toppled over, one on the floor and another hanging off the desk slightly. In front of Dean were three ponies, standing on top of papers that were scattered all on the bare, metal floor.

Pony number one was close to Dean. His eyes were magenta and he had a punk styled, green mane and tail, and an orange coat. His cutie mark resembled three knives having been thrown into a target, all of which stuck out of the bulls eye. And, most noticeable between the three, was that they all wore a thin plate of steel body armor, collard but lacking shoulder plates. They all had saddle bags, pony three having a single while the others had a twin pair. Dean also takes notice the large flanged mace pony number one held, making Dean realize what pony number two meant by, "knock him."

Pony number two, who was pacing back and forth closer to pony number three, was a short mustard yellow pony, with a brown mane and tail that were greasy and unkempt. Dean couldn't see his cutie mark beneath what he wore. A pale gambeson that reached his hind quarters, layered beneath his body armor. He was the only one with gambeson, as the other two wore a thin white cloth beneath their armor.

Likewise to number two, Dean couldn't see his cutie mark either, but not because of clothes. Number three had a set of twin scabbards strapped to his sides, holding a twin pair of scimitars that hid his cutie mark. He was also the largest and bulkiest of the group, his armor straps stretching at the seams, trying to hold together on his incredible mass. He had his mane in a buzz cut, and his tail was short and out of the way, perfect for someone of combat. His coat was a dark blue and his mane and tail were pitch black. He was standing on his hind legs, keeping his forelegs propped against the door, pushing against it, to keep whatever was on the other side from entering.

A few questions ran through Dean's head; ranging from how their weapons didn't match their body types to, "Where the tarterus am I!!!"

Dean gulped, looking cautiously to the one with the mace, who in turn glared fearfully back at him. "Um, excu-"

"SHUT UP!!!" he roared, flaring his mace towards Dean.

Dean was startled and instinctively flinched and tried to move. However, it was only then Dean realized that he was tied to a chair. His body and forelegs wrapped in roped and tied at the back, making only his hind legs free. Dean felt his heart beat quicker as he said shakily, "w- w- what! Why-"

"BE! QUIET!"

BANG!!! BANG!!!

Something pounded against the door, and the large pony yelped. He pushed back, fighting against whatever was on the other side. The other two looked to the door, and the second pony spoke, "keep dat door shut!"

"I'm trying!" the large one groaned, feeling a few more bangs.

BANG!!! BANG!!! BANG!!!

"Give it to me", something said from the other side of the door.

Dean felt his heart drop suddenly, hearing the appearance of a forth stranger. Only, it didn't sound like a pony. Whatever they were trying to keep out sounded as if it came from tarterus.

Its voice was hallow, void of a soul; speaking in a deep echo, groaning with a slight growl at the end, as if it was in constant agony. Yet, it also sounded determined, that despite its anguish it still had something to accomplish.

The banging stopped suddenly, and the large one, panting and sweating, looked over to his friends. "It . . . it stopped."

"You think its gone?" the one with the mace asked.

"Yeah! Y- Yeah its gone! Let's get out of here while we have the chance!" the second one yelled, shakily. It was obvious he was the most cowardice of the group, and his desperation to leave couldn't tell Dean enough.

But the third kept a solid head and said, "no, no I don't think it is."

"What makes you think that!?!" the second shouted.

The first pony gulped and pointed to the window, "I think that'll tell you!"

They all looked to the window and simultaneously felt their hearts sink. Previously, the outside of the window was pitch black, the outside being too dark for Dean to tell what was out there. Now, something was glowing red in a ball of fire like light. With its bright shimmer and dangerous color, Dean thought it might actually burn him if he stood too close.

"I want it . . . give it to me . . ."

"W- What is that?" Dean asked. No one answered, none could even if they wanted to. The first was vigilant, the second was shaking in his spot, and the third was preoccupied with the door.

"I want it . . . I want it . . ."

"What is that!?" Dean shouted whispered, again, receiving no response.

"I want . . . I want . . ."

It slammed its body to the window, extending the cracks already laid on the glass. The first pony jumped back, the second screamed, and the third cursed and flinched. Dean's eyes went wide to the creature before him.

He was a demon. His eyes three times the size of a pony's: pitch black, void of life, like two eternal holes of torment. He had hooves, but his were more goat like than a pony's, and his fur didn't cover his hooves, exposing the burnt, black, chipped bone. His fur was fire red, and his tail was sharp and black. He had no mane, instead replaced with a pair of swirling goat horns, razor sharp at the tips. His mouth hung open, drooling, as if he were hungry, exposing rows of shark like teeth. He was three times taller than the average pony, and his muscles and veins were bulging, practically ripping through his fur, both literally and metaphorically. Every here and there, Dean could actually see small cracks of exposed muscle, with pulsating veins beneath. His mouth stretched wide, and he spoke without needing to move his lips.

The ponies screamed, and Dean cursed. "WHAT THE BUCK!!!"

Dean tried to move, bobbing his chair back and forth. "What in Equestria is that thing!?!" he shouted.

The second pony turned to Dean, pointing to him accusingly. "This is your fault!"

"What!? What the tarterus are you talking about-"

"That demon appeared after Discord sent you! You are a demon of chaos just like that monster out there!"

Dean had to double take just to register that, and even then it was difficult to digest something as outlandish as that. "W-W-WHAT!?!" he shouted.

"We don't know that Redger! He's not like the demon outside!" the third pony said, glancing over to the second pony named Redger.

"Ponies don't just appear out of a box in the sky Barney! Only chaos magic would have something as random as that happen!" Redger shouted.

"Sorry? Did you say there was a box in the sky? Like a blue one?" Dean asked.

"Ah hah!" Redger exclaimed. "You see!? He knows what it looks like because he came from it!"

"We all know what the box looks like! We all saw it appear!" the one with the mace said.

"He still fell from it!"

"That doesn't mean he's a chaos demon!" said Barney.

BANG! The demon slammed its hoof against the window, growling at the ponies.

All of them looked to the demon fearfully as Redger said, "that demon still appeared after you caught this pony, Barney. They must be related to each other."

"I am not related to anyone! I don't even know what's going on!" Dean yelled.

BANG! The demon slammed against the window again, this time with enough force to further extend its cracks. It was clear that the window wouldn't last long and, soon, the demon would break through.

"Redger, we need to do something!" the one with the mace said.

Redger was sweating profusely and breathing heavily, as he looked about in a panic, searching for a way out. Looking around, Redger caught a glance at Dean and stopped. Desperate, he turned and marched to Dean, and grabbed the side of his chair, pulling him close, inches away from his face. "You are responsible for this! Make that demon go away right now!"

"How the bloody tarterus am I responsible for this!"

"Don't play stupid with me! You are responsible!"

He'd had it, these strangers holding him hostage, blaming him for something he didn't even have a clue about. He wasn't one to lose his temper, but at the moment, he just couldn't help himself. Glaring, he roared at Redger, not caring about the little bits of spittle he blasted at him, "I am not responsible you micro brained buffoon!!!"

Redger responded the best way his emotions wanted him to, by pushing Dean's chair and throwing him face first into the hard, cold floor. While Dean was still registering the bruising of his nose, Redger approached the pony with the mace and ripped the weapon from his hooves. Hovering over him, he held the mace above his own head and threatened, "you wanna call me that again you little piece of dragon dung!?!"

"BUCK YOU!!!" "Woah, were did that come from?" thought Dean.

Dean groaned as he received a blow to his gut. Redger kicked Dean and huffed angrily, waving the mace before Dean's face menacingly. "I will use this! I swear I will!"

BANG! The window cracked further, and the demon on the other side roared a hellish screech.

While Dean was catching his breath after that blow, the pony that had the mace approached Redger and shoved him away from Dean. "That's enough! He's clearly not a chaos demon!" He yanked the mace out of Redger's hooves, "and give that back!"

Redger reached for the mace, only for the armed pony to hold it away, keeping Redger from reclaiming the weapon. Redger shouted, "Hey! What d- you think yer doin!"

"Keeping you from doing something stupid! That's what!" the armed pony shouted back.

"What you think your so clever!? Your defending a demon for Celestia's sake!"

"He's just a kid! And your beating the snot out of him!"

"You ain't da boss Cleo! Give me the mace!"

"Last I checked neither were you! And I'm the one who uses a mace!"

"Both of you shut up and help me!!!" Barney shouted. The demon banged against the window, then slammed against the door. Barney was using all his might to keep the door shut, but it was clear he was struggling.

Meanwhile, Dean had been lying on his front, cranking his neck as far as possible to watch Redger, making sure he wouldn't try anything else to him. He took a moment to look elsewhere, relaxing the tension in his neck while Barney was shouting. When he did, a peculiar spot on the ground caught his eye.

Peering beneath the office desk, opposite side from the four, was a solid iron safe. This floor Dean and the others stood upon was made of metal, but from what Dean saw, it seemed the floor wasn't as thick as he had thought.

The safe, wherever it used to be before this, office was it? This room, whatever its intentions were, had been destroyed and put in disarray. The safe seemed to have fallen, or thrown, either way had crashed into the floor. The safe was far stronger and more solid than the floor, for half of it was hanging out the bottom end. With the desk and cabinets having fallen or broken above and around the safe, that and the fact that these ponies didn't seem capable of controlling themselves in a situation like this, it made sense to Dean that they had missed this. With that in mind, Dean realized that there was another floor below them, and they had a way of escaping.

"Hey!" Dean shouted, trying to catch the others attentions.

They paid no mind to Dean, bickering amongst one another. "I am helping! I'm trying to find a way to get us outta here!" shouted Redger.

"And your doing that by beating up a kid?" shouted Cleo.

"He's not a kid! He's a chaos demon!"

"Hey!" Dean shouted. His second attempt was ignored as well, meanwhile, the demon outside banged against the window, cracking it further. At this point, small chips of glass broke loose, and from the looks of it the window was ready to break.

"Kid or not, kicking his flank isn't helping anypony!" Cleo shouted.

"If kicking his flank gets him to get rid a dat demon than so help me I will make him swallow his teeth!" shouted Redger.

Cleo took an aggressive step closer to Redger, "do that and I'll bash your brains in!"

"Will you two stop fighting and just find a way out!" shouted Barney.

Dean rolled his eyes, "oh for the love of- HEY!!!"

Dean roared, shouting at the top of his lungs. Managing to surpass the other's volumes, the three heard Dean that time and paused their bickering to give him attention. With all eyes on him, Dean had his opportunity to tell them, "the floor is broken behind the desk!"

The three looked to the desk curiously. "The floor?" asked Cleo.

"There's a safe back there that has broken through the floor. If you can remove that safe you should be able to escape through the hole it made!"

The three looked back to Dean. Redger appeared skeptical, and Barney seemed hopeful. Cleo still seemed curious and went to check if Dean was telling the truth.

Propping his mace to the wall, Cleo grabbed the desk and, with one solid move and a heavy grunt, managed to push the desk and cabinets that had fallen atop aside. Looking over the mess of furniture, sure enough, Cleo saw the top half of the safe sticking out of the thin metal floor.

Redger saw excitement wash over Cleo's face as Cleo turned to him. "He's right! There's a hole over here!"

"What!" Redger shouted. He looked to Dean, still appearing skeptical. He looked back to Cleo, then to Dean, thought for a moment, before the window was bashed again.

The three turned to the window and saw the demon outside, with part of its hoof poking through the thick glass. It had nearly broken through, and it roared excitedly.

Redger cursed under his breath, "if he says there's a hole than there's a hole! Let's go!"

Cleo nodded and reached for his mace. Walking over and standing above the safe, he poised his mace over his head, preparing himself to strike it down. Before hand, he looked over to Redger, "free the kid!"

"What!"

"Free the kid or we're all going to die!"

BANG! another piece of glass broke, and the demon managed to slip his entire leg through, which was long enough that he was nearly able to reach Barney. Barney, looking fearfully to the leg just a foot from him, screamed.

"Aaaagh!!! Fine! Come here you!" Redger yelled. He reached to Dean with his right hoof and held to his chair, while he reached into his saddle bag with his left. Pulling out a large dagger, Redger quickly cut the ropes that held Dean prisoner.

Meanwhile, seeing Redger free Dean, Cleo yelled out, summoning his streangth as he struck the mace down with all his might.

There was a loud metallic "bang!" as the steel mace met the iron safe. The safe was solid, but it was no match against the streangth of Cleo's mace. The steel weapon smashed the top of the iron safe, denting the iron innwards, collapsing the inner workings into itself. As it did, the force of Cleo's strike pushed the safe down, forcing it out of the floor. It fell through, opening the hole, and there was a second metallic "bang! that followed, as the safe crashed into the floor below. Which, from what Dean heard, was apparently made out of stone, and he couldn't help but wonder where the tarterus he was.

"Let's go!" Cleo shouted, before hopping down the hole.

Dean heard the final piece of rope snap free as Redger cut him loose. He immediately felt relief in his legs, as the circulation returned and he could move freely again.

Redger clearly didn't like the idea of freeing Dean, and said angrily, "there, your loose! Do anything, and I shank you!" As soon as he said that, Redger was off. Dashing forth, hopping over the desk, and plunging head first down the hole.

Shakily, Dean lifted himself to his hooves. Which turned out to be a challenge in itself. His body was still sore from his fight with Silly, it was fatigued from no sleep, and his hunger was just starting to catch up to him, to the point where he actually felt nauseous. It was only that hell demon outside that made him force his body to move. Otherwise, he would have been more than happy to collapse and pass out for a few hours. Or, even a day, he didn't care.

Dean ran, quickly climbed over the desk, and stood above the hole, too dark below to see the bottom. He was just about to hop down before he remembered Barney. He turned to the stallion at the door, still keeping the door shut, and shouted at him. "Hey! Come on!"

Barney waved a leg at Dean, "you go! I'll go after you!"

"Either you go or we're both staying here!" Dean threatened.

Barney gave Dean a look that asked if he was serious, and Dean replied with a look of his own, declaring that he absolutely was. Barney nodded, "alright! You better drop down as soon as I jump!"

"Fine! Come on!"

Barney gave the demon a quick glance, flinching as the demon's leg made a swipe at Barney. Luckily he still wasn't close enough to reach, because its sharp hoof struck the ground instead, cutting through the thin metal. Seeing that made Barney "yipe!" and turned to Dean. "Here I come!" he shouted. Quickly, he released the door and charge to the desk, jumping over and nearly falling down the hole. He caught himself and looked to Dean, making sure the colt would follow, as he hopped down bottom first.

With Dean left, he took one last glance to the demon, really taking in its appearance. It roared, and Dean muttered, "what are you?"

"Kid!" Barney yelled below.

Dean looked down the hole and tried to find Barney, but it was still too dark to see. "Doctor, where are you?" he asked aloud, before dropping down the hole.

The demon roared, it slammed its hoof against the window. Then, the window shattered, and the demon finally broke through.

WHOOOOZ VIRRRRR!!! WHOOOOZ VIRRRRR!!!

It was empty that day, as it usually was. The long expansion of rocks and boulders on the terrain, compromising most of the land, with grass and weeds sprouting in whatever little space it could find. The natural arrangement of the rocks, scattered everywhere with no care, as the wind blew hard, yet gentle. Passing through and between the rocks as if it were dodging them, making the wind whistle, and sound stronger than it actually was.

Devoid of trees, this land was. Mountains aligned the horizon far to the north and east, but to the south and west the distance eventually curved into nothing. The horizon ends in those directions with nothing as far as the eyes could see. And if one tried hard enough they could see the largest of trees dot the mountains from the north and east. But here, in this particular place, there were no trees. No trees, no bushes, no flowers, only the grass and weeds between the rocks. That, and a single building made of brick.

From the edge of the terrain lined a straight dirt road, appearing almost like a boarder than a road. A rough road, just as bumpy and full of rocks as the terrain. Hot to the touch on this cloudy summer day, with even the insects hiding to shade themselves.

As far as the eye could see was the rocky terrain, and here lined the road, stretching for miles north and south. Starting from the edge of unclaimed territory, passing Red Rock Mountains, and expanding across goat country until it reaches Mason, a town on the south coast of the country. Then to the east, opposite side of the road, was the brick building.

It was a building, though to anyone who didn't know better, this place looked either like a small castle or a large fortress. Made from red and white bricks that were old, weathered, and faded, this building was twenty thousand square feet and three stories tall. All the windows were either boarded, or cemented shut by brick. The front and only entrences was the one opening this place had, and even it appeared to have been sealed at one point.

A large, archway like entrances, connected to its own dirt path that led to the road, having once been large enough for ten ponies to enter and exit as they pleased, had been boarded with wood just like the windows. However, a small hole on the bottom right corner of the arch appeared smashed into the wood, with chunks of wood and bits of chips scattered around the open spot, large enough for only one pony at a time. The rocky terrain surrounded the building and continued off into the horizon, the same as the west side of the road.

It was obvious the building had been closed for a long time, evidently abandoned. Perhaps to some it looked inviting for adventure, to others it may seem scary. But to anyone looking to the building as it is, it was rather dull and boring. A building one would see along their travels and not give much thought to. Perhaps question how it came to be in its state. But to anyone who wasn't bored in need of shelter, no one really would come here for a purpose.

Except for one pony.

On the center of the road across from the building, a sound appeared from thin air. A grinding, metallic groan, fading in and out of existence. Quiet at first, growing louder and louder with each rhythmic beat. Soon followed was a ghost like blue box, labeled with a sign "Public Guard Call Box", fading in and out of existence, in synch with the groans it emitted.

It took a moment, each time it passed in and out of existence the box slowly became more and more solid. Then, it was ghostlike no more, and the blue box had fazed into the world. The box made a piston like "STOMP!", silencing the groans, and the box had ceased its fading and was solid to the touch.

A second after it had appeared, the door to the guard box slammed open, and out came the Doctor.

Rushing from his M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T, the Doctor, sweaty, dirty, covered in cuts and grime from the night before, looked about frantically. He cupped his hooves to his mouth and shouted, "DEAN!!! DEAN!!!" No one responded, and he turned to the brick building. Quickly, he darted forth, and a second after he found himself peering cautiously within the dark hole that was the make shift entrance to the building.

From the entrance was a large arched hallway that lead to an old double wooden door. Harsh to the touch but, unlike most parts of the building, wasn't sealed shut, and could still function as a door should. Even its rusted chain lock, still hanging from the door's pull handles, had the key left inside the chamber, and could lock and unlock with only marginal issue. That was all this hall had to offer. It had windows lined across the top sides, but all had been sealed with wood, and the ground was covered in dirt, having layered for years, cobwebs, and old discarded cloths. The Doctor noticed that the walls had been painted at one point, but the designs had long faded and washed away, leaving only smears of brown, black, and green upon the dirty red and white bricks.

With the brick walls and wooden door in this hall, and not knowing the countless amounts of other places in this building that were sealed, the Doctor knew Dean wouldn't hear him from here. Carefully, the Doctor bent slightly and entered through the hole.

The air was stale and choked him in dust, but that was to be expected just from the sight alone, and he paid no mind to it. Approaching the door, the Doctor checked the lock, before removing the chain from the door handle and dropping it. The chain clanked on the stone ground, bringing up a small cloud of dust no higher than the Doctor's legs. The Doctor pushed gently on the left double door, its hinges squeaking subtly, and the Doctor peered inside.

From there the Doctor found the central room to the building. A massive room with a long arched desk, centered across from the Doctor. On each end of the desk was a pair of dark wood staircases, both twisting upwards and opposite from their respectable ends, and leading to a second floor balcony above, made from the same, old, weathered wood. The balcony was rimmed along the four sides of the room, leaving a square open space in the center were there was no ceiling. The twisting staircases continued their spiral past the first balcony and led to a second one on the third floor, exactly identical to the first balcony on the second floor. The stairs stopped at the second balcony, and this balcony too had an open square space in its center, the space it did not occupy, allowing the Doctor to see the ceiling high above.

The center of the building had a large chandelier fitted with several candelabrums, a beautiful piece that had once brought life into this room now was caked in webs and dust, so much so that it made it difficult to distinguish what metal it was made from. Perhaps silver? It could have been copper colored silver, but the Doctor couldn't tell.

Just like the hallway these walls appeared to have once been painted. But again these too were washed out and old to distinguish any of its original designs.

Along the walls of each floor were rows of doors, each leading to another part of the building. Specifically where each one led to, the Doctor's guess was as good as any other.

He was probably going to regret this, but he was desperate to find Dean. Hours had passed since the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T had lost control to Discord's chaos, and with each passing minute he became more and more worried for Dean's well being. The last he saw him he had fallen out of the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T, hundreds of feet above ground. Ponies may be durable, some strong enough to withstand falls like that. Even so, that kind of fall, especially for someone who's never really adapted their body, is most likely at risk for serious injury. If Dean's durability is on the lower side, that kind of fall may even be fatal, and no form of healing can fix that.

The Doctor refused to believe that would be the case, and he felt his heart lift when his scanners didn't find anyone outside, but inside the building. However, when his scanners picked up three additional bodies, the Doctor felt a sense of danger whelm inside him. It told him that either Dean survived and those three were helping him, or, Dean had been taken prisoner.

Now, he knew one shouldn't jump to conclusions and assume the worst. But, than again, why take the risk and assume these ponies were safe?

So, instead of transporting inside the building, the Doctor chose to transport outside and make his way in subtly. The groans from the M.E.I.D.P.H.A.T, though not the loudest, would still put anyone off if there was the chance they heard it. He figured if he was going to make his presence known he would do it without spooking the strangers with a randomly appearing blue box.

He might regret it, alerting them to his presence. But the sooner he found Dean the better. So, entering the central room, he cupped his hooves together and shouted, echoing through to room, "DEEEEEAAAAAAAAN!!!"

He waited until his echo faded, before he tried again, "DEEEEAAAAAAAAAN!!!"

He waited once more. As his echo faded, closely, he listened for any sign that anyone heard him. BANG! A door slammed suddenly, startling him. The dull pound echoes the room, which was followed by the pitter patter of quick hoofsteps.

PAT! PAT! PAT! PAT! PAT! A mustard yellow pony with brown hair and green eyes, slightly below average in height, swerved around the left corner of the balcony, running into the Doctor's sights. He wore collard steel armor chest piece, a thin pale gambeson that reached his hindquarters, hard pleather shin guards for each of his legs, and a twin saddle bag made from black pleather strapped on his back.

Quickly, the pony turned to the Doctor, standing to his hind legs as he propped his left leg to the balcony, and held his right leg behind his back. He looked angrily to the Doctor, shouting at him, "get outta here, now!"

Taken by surprise, the Doctor went to ask, "what-?" But could only get a word in before he was cut off.

"I said get out you demon!"

"Demon? What are you talking-"

"Are you deaf? I said leave!" he shouted with a wave of his hoof.

Becoming frustrated, the Doctor kept his patience and asked in a calm, yet malice tone, "sir, I don't know why you want to me to leave so bad. But if you help me than I will leave immediately, and you will never see me again-"

The yellow pony scoffed, "don't try to fool me with your tricks! The moment I turn my back you'll turn me into a demon!"

"Turn you- w- what!?! You think I'm going to what now?"

"Don't play stupid! Your going to turn me into a demon! Just like all of those other demons out there!" he pointed past the Doctor, indicating to no where in particular.

Looking to the hall behind him, the Doctor took a moment to think about that, and it occurred to him. "Demons? Your talking about the corrupted, aren't you?"

"Corrupted, demons, their all the same. Their all evil, they all came from tarterus, and they won't stop until they've taken us all". The pony chuckled ecstatically as he pointed to the Doctor, "but the shoes on the other hoof now! We've got one of your stallions now! That's why your here, ain't it!?!"

The Doctor felt that familiar sense of dread envelop him, and he asked almost panic like, "one of my stallions!?! Is he a gray young stallion!?! With black hair!?!"

The pony scoffed, "HA! Knew it! We've got one of your stallions now! And your here to get 'im before we use 'im to fight back! Well you ain't getting 'im! Got that! He's ours now! And I won't be negotiating with no demons!"

The Doctor trotted forward a few feet, making the pony more uneasy as the Doctor chided him. "Listen! I don't know what made you think that Dean is a corrupted- eh- demon, but I assure you he is not what you think he is! He's just a colt! He is hurt and tired and needs to rest! And if you give him back I promise I'll give you anything you want! Just name it! Money, food, a home, eh, money?"

The pony huffed angrily, shaking his head, "after everything I've seen you really expect me to believe that? After all the things I've been through", the pony snapped, slamming his hoof against the balcony railing, hard enough to emit a dull pound that echoed through the room. He glared into the Doctor's eyes, speaking to him with only slight control of his temper. "There are ponies out there that are twisted monstrosities! Puking brown and black slop while they enslave innocents! And those ponies used to be my friends! There are nightmarish creatures that defy nature! They've turned into beasts and objects and things no one can describe! And they hunt ponies down! Turning them into nightmares just like them! And those ponies used to be my family!"

The pony shouted louder, and even from the second floor the Doctor could see him clearly shaking. "You demons have taken everything from me . . . but now, heh, now I have one of yours!"

The pony chuckled victoriously, as he looked down on the Doctor as if he were his better. "We have one of your stallions now. We will use him to find a way to fight back. And then . . . we will win. And you demons will go back to tarterus where you belong!"

Losing his patience's, mixed with his fear for Dean's well being, the Doctor spoke sternly. "Young stallion, I know you are scared, but you are letting your fear take the best of you! You have not captured a demon you have captured an innocent! He has done nothing to you! As I've said if you release him now I will even give you a reward for your compliance! However, that pony you have taken is my friend, and if you so much as lay a hoof on a single hair on his head, so help me I will make you regret being born!"

The pony frowned, and the two stood glaring at each other for a moment. Placed in a stare match as each took the time to figure out their next course of action. A moment later the pony spoke quietly, clearly holding the anger in his voice, "are you threatening me?"

" . . . I am", the Doctor replied.

A second stare match ensued, which lasted longer than the first. A moment after, the pony on the balcony struck suddenly.

He growled, as the leg behind his back flashed suddenly. In a blur, his leg swept around, throwing something fast and fluidly.

The object traveled at a blinding speed, and the Doctor had only a second to react. Luckily, being the perceptive pony that he was, he had noticed the pony keeping his leg behind his back from the start, and kept part of his focus on it. Therefore, it was easier for him to dodge the object.

He turned his body left, and the object missed his head by inches. It collided into the ground, the metal colliding into the stone, echoing its thud, as it snapped in two and clanged to the ground. The Doctor then saw that what the pony had thrown was a throwing knife, and with excellent precision.

Taking a second to catch his breath, the Doctor adapted himself, expecting more projectiles as he marched angrily towards the stairs.

The pony didn't like that at all, and sure enough he reached into his saddle bag for another knife. "You stupid demon! I said leave!!!" his leg flashed in a blur, and at that same incredible speed, another knife was thrown.

But the Doctor was more than ready this time, and the Doctor tilted his upper body to the right, avoiding a blow to his torso as the knife darted past. Shattering to pieces as it left a crack in the stone behind him. The Doctor then proceeded onwards, marching in stoic determinations as he glared the pony down.

The pony felt a tinge of fear develop and he quickly reached for another knife. Just before the Doctor reached the long desk, passing the pony's point of view from the balcony, he threw another knife. Just as fast, if not faster then the first two, but with the same results. The Doctor expertly dodged once more, this time slanting forward and twisting his upper body slightly to the left. The knife darted past him and made another crack on the stone ground, as the knife itself shattered into pieces.

The Doctor passed the desk and stepped onto the stairs, calling up to the pony. "Don't say I didn't warn you! I even offered you a reward, but you wouldn't listen!"

That tinge of fear grew rapidly, and the pony ran to the left corner balcony, where he had ran from initially, and swerved the corner again. Gripping the corner railing, mostly for support than to prop himself, as he could feel his hoof practically vibrating in fear, the pony stared anxiously to the stairway as he awaited the Doctor, keeping a tight grasp to another knife in his saddle bag.

The moment he caught glimpse of the Doctor's head he took his chance and threw another knife, hoping the Doctor's lack of perception on him would deter his chance of another successful dodge. This however turned not to be the case, as he saw the Doctor's head drop suddenly, so quickly he almost didn't realize he had missed, until his knife penetrated the wood railing to the Doctor's right. Breaking through and leaving a chunk sized hole in the railing as the knife darted into the wooden desk on the floor below. The knife penetrated, with half poking out of the desk, and the Doctor's head popped up into view as he marched up and onto the second floor balcony.

The Doctor looked eye to eye with the yellow pony and ordered him, "show me where you are keeping Dean. Or else!"

Instinctively he reached for another knife, but the pony felt his heart stop as he realized how little he had left. Not wanting to waste anymore projectiles, and faced with a foe that might be too formidable for him, with no other option, he chose to run.

The Doctor had prepared himself as he saw the pony reach into his saddlebag, expecting another throwing knife to come his way. The pony, however, turned around suddenly and galloped the opposite direction. "Hey!!!" the Doctor shouted. For a split second he considered using phoenix magic to stop him, but despite the building being made from brick this balcony was still wood. So he hesitated, and growled angrily as he galloped to catch the pony.

The pony, however, was much faster than the Doctor, and reached the door at the end of the balcony several seconds before the Doctor. He pushed his was through, slammed the door shut, and the Doctor arrived in time to hear something click! on the other side. Twisting the handle and pushing the door, the Doctor found the door to be locked, and he pounded his hoof against it angrily. "Open the door!" he shouted, waited a moment, received no response, then proceeded to bang the door some more, "I said open the door!!!"

With no response, the Doctor heaved an exasperated sigh, before turning around. Grunting, he bucked the door with his hind legs in an attempt to break the door down. It didn't budge, so the Doctor tried again. And again, and again, before he stopped to take a moment and breath.

Thinking aloud, the Doctor sat on his rear and glared to the door, as if the pony were still here for him to glare at. "Darn . . . old or not these doors are strong. I can't brute force my way in, but with my phoenix fire I can burn my way through. If I'm careful I won't set anything on fire. But if they're in there, and they're keeping Dean hostage, they might do something to him to keep me from getting to him. So, how to get to Dean without them harming him?"

The walls from within the building groaned, awaking the Doctor from his thoughts as he looked around. "God this place is old. I'm surprised the bricks haven't just collapsed". While looking to the building the Doctor realized, "I guess it makes sense why that pony's paranoid. Equestria is full of corrupted ponies, and of all the places he chose to hide he chose one the looks like it came out of a horror film". The Doctor chuckled, "another scary building. You know, I'm starting to see a theme here, and I'm not sure I like it". He sighed, "anyway, big abandoned brick building, old and weathered, even the walls are making noises, every creak probably makes them jump out of their skin. Which means that Dean is even worse off than I thought. He's not just foalnapped but he's foalnapped by ponies who are scared, they may just jump on him if anything sets them off. That's not good, I need to find him as soon as possible. But that stills begs the question: how to get to him without them hurting him?"

The Doctor heard another groan from the walls, and he turned to the general area of the room. A thought occurred, and he placed his hoof to his chin, speaking his mind, "the scanners said that there were only four ponies inside this building. One of them is Dean, another was that pony, and there are two more. But chaos magic is finicky, and my scanners could easily miss it if there's a single corrupted. So . . ." The Doctor stopped. He heard another groan, and he looked back to the door with a worrisome thought.

"What if that pony's scared for a reason? Perhaps . . . what if there aren't actually four ponies here? Is a corrupted actually in here somewhere?"

The Doctor continued his ponder, figuring out what he should do next, while the pony who had ran regrouped with the others, they too figuring out what to do next.