The Timepony’s Journal

by Penny_Shavins109

Chapter 27 - Vortis

Twilight Sparkle finally woke up, feeling somewhat refreshed and reinvigorated from her meeting with Luna during her dreams. The book was still where she last left it, but she could still somehow feel that innate fear from before. The stories couldn’t hurt her, they were simply words on a page, and yet she was afraid. She sighed and picked the book off of the desk, skimming through some of the pages. She could clearly see the words before the places she’d read, but not immediately afterwards. It was as if by the time she’d mentally processed a page the next would be so clear to her. She didn’t know why it worked this way, perhaps it only did so for her. She felt some kind of connection to the contents of the unread blurs of text. She knew she was a part of it, her previous days weaved into the Doctor’s history too after all. She wasn’t sure if she could handle that part yet, but there was only one way to find out.

---

The Doctor was constantly flicking switches again, rapidly doing his best to escape the crumbling biodome behind, at least that’s what the others thought. The TARDIS was meant to be on its way to a delightful museum, instead it was stuck somewhere halfway between both points in time and space. Spark got up from his chair and moved over to the elderly grey stallion, looking over his shoulder.

“Is everything alright Doctor, or is the TARDIS just acting up again?” he said with a smirk, trying to catch the Timepony off guard.

The Doctor was somewhat distracted, which was starting to become a new and worrying occurrence for him.

“Oh? No, no. Something just seems to be holding us here. It appears that we’re a little stuck for the moment.”

Free approached the console and tried to make out the readings. Berry had told her that this was an advanced time and space machine, and while the interior dimensions made it more believable she still had her doubts. She couldn’t make head or tail of any of the strange readings the various instruments on the console made.

“But can’t you get us unstuck?” she asked worriedly.

The Doctor began to frantically switch from panel to panel on the hexagonal console. It emitted several electronic whirrs, increasing in intensity as the TARDIS was dragged down to its unknown location.

“I’m trying, I’m trying!”

Everyone yelped in pain as the console room lurched at an awkward angle for several seconds. The console was slightly smouldering, though luckily nopony was hurt. The TARDIS roughly materialised on the surface of an oddly dead world. There was no wind, barely any sky, and hardly a sound other than the TARDIS itself. Not a tick, not a click of sound for miles across the surface. A murky indigo liquid trickled between the molten grey and purple crags that rose miles into the sky. Once regaining his bearings, the Doctor simultaneously tried to perform a status check on the outdoor environment as well as several attempts to dematerialize. He huffed before looking down at the console.

“Gone, all power is being syphoned off except the emergency lines. Something is holding us here, or someone.”

Spark groaned as he pulled himself up, helping the others to their hooves as well.

“We won’t starve or run out of oxygen, will we?” Spark asked while dusting himself off.

“Oh, no need to worry Speck, the emergency energy is generated separately from the main power. It powers all basic functions except for easy transportation. We cannot attempt any more hasty manoeuvres, the power levels are too low to resist this strange influence.”

“And what do you suggest we do, take a stroll in that wasteland?”

“What a splendid idea, young stallion. Berry, the emergency door control should be right next to you. Next to the medkit if you need it.”

Berry grumbled as she attempted to rummage through the Doctor’s workstation next to the side door. Eventually she was able to pull down a stiff lever, the double doors to the outside world whirring to life as they opened. She then grabbed the medkit and kneeled down to Free who was rubbing her head. She wasn’t looking well, feeling queasy from the rough landing.

“Are you feeling alright? You’re looking a little more pale than usual.”

“How can you tell when I’m grey?”

The two of them smiled and laughed together.

“You know what I meant. Now take this, it should help your stomach if you’re feeling queasy or sick.”

“Pills? It’s a bit primitive, isn’t it? I’ve never even heard of as-per-in.”

“Blame the Doctor, he’s probably collected a hundred years worth of junk. They aren’t that primitive, everyone takes them every once in a while.”

“How old are you? You might as well dance and chant around a fire. I thought you taught medicine.”

“No, I only teach history. Sometimes I wish we had more control over where we landed, there’s plenty of sights that I’d like to see before we’re home.”

Free made a face as she swallowed the pill, the uneasiness in her stomach already starting to subside.

“I still don’t fully believe that this is a time machine like you told me. There was talk of temporal experiments, but I didn’t think an old stallion and two elementary school teachers would be piloting it.”

“Elementary?! What were you learning as a foal?” Berry teased.

“Calculus, Physics, Basic Circuitry, all simple stuff really.”

“How old were you? You must’ve spent days in a classroom.”

“Oh I was only 9 years old just like everypony else. What’s a classroom?”

“Oh, well it’s where you go to learn with the other students.”

“That doesn’t make sense. We all had a machine in our homes that taught us based on our individual needs. It’s much more efficient that way.”

It took Berry most of her strength not to roll her eyes. The Doctor and Spark were nearby, finally finished putting on some special respiration suits to go outside. The TARDIS reported that they were on the planet Vortis, which had a much thinner atmosphere than that of Equus. The Doctor picked up a small device, twisting two knobs and setting it to trace what was holding the TARDIS in place.

“Now be careful, Spark. These suits are only able to be active for about an hour, so we need to be careful with our supply. Come along now, don’t dilly dally.”

As expected, the Doctor exited the ship without waiting for his companion. Spark likely wished the others farewell before returning to his side. Though the Doctor was too busy to notice, adjusting the frequency of his device to trace down the influence. He stared out into the inky black void that was the sky, thinly veiled but the stars were still able to be seen. It was hard to tell if it was truly night or day.

“Look at the landscape, Spark. What do you make of it, hm?”

Spark stared intently out into the mirraid of flat and jagged edged peaks.

“Looks like the result of a thousand earthquakes. You can’t get mountains and cliffs that flat without it. Even with erosion it would still have some degree of smoothness. What are you getting at?”

“We may be light equuses, light years away from Equus, but the fact remains that you can’t have earthquakes without tectonic activity. Vortis is tectonically inactive, Vortis doesn’t even have a moon to pull any nonexistent tides. So that begs the question, how is this place possible and why are we here? Clearly no life should continue to exist within these conditions.”

Spark sighed and continued forwards, observing one of the dark indigo pools. The landscape was littered with them, often surrounded by the fossilised remains of some kind of brush. Spark got close to the pool but The Doctor shoved him back before he could get any closer.

“These suits aren’t as watertight as you might like to think. Now give me your tie, I want to check something.”

“But I’m not wearing my tie!”

The Doctor rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Not around your neck, the one around your waist you fool. Why you insist on constantly wearing it wherever you go is beyond me. Now come here, give me your tie.”

Spark grumbled, refusing to comment as he removed the tie that somewhat held up the bottom half of his suit. Much to his horror, the Doctor dipped his tie into the murky fluid, the fabric lightly steaming as the end of it dissolves into a minute fraction of what it should be.

“I can’t believe it!” Spark said in shock.

“Yes, and you very nearly poked your hoof into it. You can’t be too close to anything on this planet.”

“I don’t mean the acid, I mean my tie! That was my limited edition Foal Hill Tie!”

“You would’ve been Foal Hill soup if I hadn’t stopped and tested the acid.”

“You could’ve just warned me instead of ruining my only good article of clothing.”

Before they could finish their argument the ground rumbled beneath their hooves. They tumbled over as the rock immediately jutted upwards in varying angles. The Doctor quickly tried to help Spark up and run to the TARDIS, but it was too late. Where the TARDIS was last was a large cavernous gorge that was deep enough that he couldn’t see the bottom. Worst of all, the sound of scuttling insects echoed around the Doctor while Spark finally caught up to him.

The two stallions looked down into the jagged abyss, a rock falling into it without making a single sound. It was too deep to jump into, and as they turned around they were greeted by a large swarm of the largest ants they’d ever seen. They were the size of an average pony and twice as long. They both stood perfectly still, unsure of what to do next.

“What do you think, Doctor? You’re the expert, is it possible to communicate with them?”

“They’re too animalistic. Unless you’re proficient in rubbing your hind legs together for a chirp, I doubt we can do any good.”

The insects pushed and guided them along towards whatever was desired to meet them. Something so strong that it could pull the TARDIS to the surface and summon a small army at its will. Neither Spark nor the Doctor had any clue what they were getting into.

---

The dead valley soon gave way to a sea of dead brambles and branches. They appeared to be the roots of several trees without anything to connect them. There stood one last leafless dome formed from the remains of the ancient woods. The Doctor observed the dome, closely surveying its structure.

“It’s purely organic, Spark. The whole dome, grown using the roots of all those trees. Quite ingenious isn’t it. No need for wasteful construction.” the Doctor said mostly to himself, also deep in thought.

“And I thought you said nothing could grow here.”

“I did, I did. No need to keep pointing out the obvious. It’s several hundred years old by the looks of it. Mind your head.”

Spark lightly bumped his head as he walked through the now opened doorway. Inside was a vast round chamber , opening up to a sky light above. The ground was hard and cold, some edges of the dome breaking and rotting away. The place was clearly once full of vibrant plant life, but only the smell of its decay lingered in the air. At the back from where they entered was a large cylindrical structure holding the ancient remains of a decaying fungus. It was massive and glowed dimly, twice as large as the ants that brought them here.

“Approach…” said the fungus, lights around it flashing as it spoke.

Spark could hardly believe his eyes. He’d witnessed aliens before with the Daleks, but he’d assumed that they’d once been ponies too. He’d never met a lifeform that wasn’t even distinctly equine. The Doctor took several steps forwards, entering a stone circle carved into the floor. It perfectly aligned with the skylight, allowing him to see a web of glowing silk acting as a shield above the different machines that allowed the fungus to live.

“You are strangers to this world. Why have you come here, has this world not been ravished enough?”

“We do not mean you any harm. I’m the Doctor, and my friend is Spark Reaction. My ship was pulled to this world for an unknown purpose. We simply wish to retrieve our ship and leave. It fell into a cavern opened by the earthquake.”

“Very well, perhaps I can be of assistance to you then. I am known as the Animus, the last of my kind in this world. If you only wish to leave, then I will assist. I will escort some of my Zarbi that sent you here to go find and retrieve it, however those caves are fairly dangerous.”

“How so? Perhaps we could provide some assistance in the matter.”

“The caves are infested by the remainders of an invading race, the Menoptera. They’re foul creatures, they burned the once thriving land in an attempt to exterminate my race. Perhaps you could deal with them somehow. My resources are quite limited as of now and I can’t pinpoint their exact location. They burrow and burrow down deeper, poisoning our land.”

“Very well, perhaps there’s something I can do once I reclaim my ship. We are most grateful for your assistance.”

The door opened once again, the Doctor and Spark leaving while several Zarbi trailed behind. They continued their trek westward, close to where the TARDIS sank into the ground. It somehow felt longer than before, Spark looking up at the Doctor concerned.

“Doctor… Do you believe what that thing, the Animus, told you?”

“I have no reason to believe otherwise. Just because the Animus doesn’t fit your frame doesn’t mean that it should be designated as evil automatically.”

“Yes, but we know nothing about these Menoptera. For all we know they’re either normal sentient beings or beasts that could tear us limb from limb. Do you at least have a plan before we possibly wipe out an endangered species on this planet?”

The Doctor stopped, not having thought of that possibility yet. He hoped to pacify them, prevent them from causing anymore harm to this world, but the thought of killing them? The thought had unfortunately crossed his mind for a fraction of a second, and even slightly considering the possibility horrified him. He looked back up at Spark and smiled, trying to hide the pain behind his eyes.

“We’ll only have to see Spark. I don’t take this matter lightly, mind you. My only hope is that whomever these Menoptera are can be persuaded easily, if they can be.”

Spark placed a hoof on the Doctor’s shoulder. He knew that there was only so much that the old stallion could do, and he was doing his best. A beeping noise emitted from the side of their suits, indicating that they were no longer functional.

“We’ll be able to survive in this atmosphere, won’t we? Maybe we should take these suits off to get used to the atmosphere.”

The Doctor simply nodded, somewhat dizzy while trying to adjust to the lack of support from the suits. After taking them off, they both started to take several deep breaths, trying to stay relaxed and conserve what breathable air they had. The atmosphere was safe to breathe, however there was not much of it. The Doctor was affected the most, unable to fully recover due to his old age.

“Let’s keep going. Maybe we can sort this all out when we’re all together again.” Spark said reassuringly.

Spark gave his elderly friend a pat on the back before helping him along their journey. They entered the caves through a newer entrance where the integrity was the strongest. The Doctor fetched an electric torch out of his pocket, a sort of replacement for his ring that he lost back in the pre-Equestrian Era. It was a much more stable model but its capacities were limited. They stopped as they heard frantic hoofsteps all around them, the sound echoing across the cavern walls. They both became defensive as the air grew tenser the closer the hoofsteps got. Berry and Free stopped in front of them, gasping for air.

“What are you doing here?” both Spark and Berry asked in unison.

Their reunion was unfortunately cut short as another creature came out of the shadows and into the light. They all had wings so thin that were glossy and transparent, their faces twisted to fit a more insectoid skull. They were vaguely pony shaped in structure, but their fur was matted and overgrown, the black and white stripes coated in a thick layer of dust. Their eyes were purely black, able to see in both the dark and the light. There had to be nearly a dozen of them, all surrounding the four as they looked upon their ghastly features. These were the Menoptera the Animus mentioned, and they were just as horrifying as they’d imagined. Before anyone could react to their appearance a swarm of Zarbi invaded the cave, attacking and trampling over the Menoptera.

The Doctor was still too woozy to do anything, all four of them were. They tried to stay together but as the fight continued they were drawn further and further apart. The cave began to shake and tremble, another earthquake splitting between the fight and causing a cave in. When the rubble cleared, the Doctor and Free were on one side with the Menoptera while Spark and Berry were on the other. The Doctor’s dropped torch illuminated the entire cave, revealing that one nine of the dozen Menoptera remained. The odds were more in their favour but it was still nine against two. One of the Menoptera positioned itself close to the Doctor, clenching his spear. The creature looked back at Free and nodded knowingly.

“You must be the Doctor that we’ve heard of. Frequency told us of you, how you had ventured on the surface. Have you conspired with the Animus, what has it told you?”

The Doctor looked confused, unsure what was happening. He looked back at Free who gave him a reassuring glance. He straightened and dusted off his jacket before clearing his throat, trying to regain some composure.

“There was a war that transpired here long ago, that you burned this world to destroy the Animus’s race. I have come to seek some form of peace, not continue roughhousing like animals.”

The Menoptera buzzed and chirped in an unintelligible manner amongst themselves. The one closest to the Doctor loosened his grip on his spear, as did the others.

“That much is true…but it is not the entire truth. This is not the first time the Animus has veiled the full truth from travellers to aid him in his plight. Please, let us tell you the full story of Vortis.”

---

Long ago, Vortis was a peaceful world consisting of only the Menoptera and the Zarbi. The Menoptera were a simple race of farmers, the Zarbi like docile animals before the Animus arrived. The Animus fleets saw the healthy planet, rich for spreading their spores and colonising. Upon arrival the Zarbi were ensnared into their traps and used as soldiers in their wars.

The Animus psychically controlled them and anyone who dared attempted to oppose them. The Menoptera were vulnerable, never having encountered any opposition. The Animus had far more advanced weaponry grown straight from Vortis’s soil. They could manipulate the ground at will, creating catastrophic earthquakes at will. The Menoptera fought back with fire and scorched the soil until the Animus could no longer grow.

The battles lasted centuries, the Menoptera slowly learning how the Animus functioned and lived. For generations they planned and constructed a device to finish the war and end the Animus. By then they’d retreated to the underground where they finished constructing the Isop Device, testing it only once. It worked efficiently, but that one test cost too many lives. Only one Animus remained, but it could still easily wipe them out with a single thought.

---

“We don’t expect you to trust us…Many outsiders have come here before, the Animus dragging them to the planet’s surface through force. The Animus cannot find us down here, so he finds others passing by to fight in their wars. Just please, take this device and activate it close to the Animus. Even if we don’t survive, you’re our only chance.”

The Doctor felt frightened as he saw the group of Menoptera present the device in front of him. It was small, round and metallic like a grenade, a simple knob to twist and activate it. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end just by looking at it. They were asking him to end a life, possibly a species if there were more Animus out there. He was conflicted, to either let one race die or to destroy another would be by his hooves either way. Free approached the Menoptera and took the device in her hooves, looking up at the Doctor with a sad smile.

“I believe them. They had the chance to hurt Berry and I when the Tardis crashed in the caves. We left to see if you were still outside and they caught us. I know it’s so much to ask but…we need to do something.” Free said while fighting back tears.

The Doctor looked Free in the eyes as he pocketed the device without a word. He silently gave her a hug, missing whatever this feeling was. He wasn’t as alone as he thought he was. He wondered what Susan would think of him in this situation, what she would say or do. He needed someone like her, but now he had Free.

“Berry and Spark have likely been captured by the Animus. If what you say really is true then the Animus may believe that the job is done. We must be quick, so no dilly dallying, hm? I’ll speak to the Animus personally and sort things out. Perhaps there is some good we can do. Come along, come along.”

Free rolled her eyes while wiping away a few of her tears. It was the Doctor, the kind old stallion that saved her, that tried to save her father. She could tell he was under a great strain, but she’d still follow behind. She had a feeling that she’d be following behind him for a long while. After nearly a half hour trek the two could see the wooden dome in the distance. The Doctor didn’t want any more Menoptera to be harmed, so he requested that most stay behind. One or two of them flew in the silky sky above them to keep guard. The Doctor was dreading this moment, the decision to destroy the Animus.

He thought that he’d be meeting the kind race that ponies were, offering the magic of friendship wherever they went. He admired them, envied them. This wasn’t what he wanted on his travels, to be so far from his realm of comfort. Several thoughts raced through his mind. The Animus was a parasite, manipulating others to fight its battles. The Animus had to be purely evil, didn’t it? Maybe the Menoptera were lying, maybe the Animus had changed, maybe, maybe, maybe. Though no matter how much he tried to justify his actions, he knew that he couldn’t do it. He lightly gasped as he felt Free hold his hoof tightly, breaking him out of his trance.

He smiled again reassuringly, approaching the door where he previously entered the dome. To his horror, Berry and Spark were tied together with a similar web that protected the Animus. He gulped and approached the center of the room again, knowing full well that the Animus intended to kill him and his friends. The Zarbi closed in as the Doctor approached the stone circle again.

“Ah, Doctor. I see that you made it back safely. I was not aware that you had any extra friends as well. Have the Menoptera been dealt with?”

The Doctor swallowed, and took in a short breath.

“Yes, yes. They will…no longer pose a threat to you.”

“Excellent, hopefully reconstruction can soon begin. This planet will be restored to its intended glory and your ship will be returned to you. However…I am no longer in need of your services.”

The Doctor approached the Animus, his motions feeling slower and sluggish than before. He quickly tried to pull the device and activate it, but he was frozen in horror. He couldn’t move, the Animus psychically holding him in place. The device fell out of his hoof and rolled across the floor. Everything in the room stood still, frozen as if it were in amber.

“Is something the matter, Doctor? Did you really think that you could attack me in my own chambers? Those silly Menoptera put you up to this, I figured. I had a feeling that you’d betray me, but I hoped that you’d be different.”

The branches of the dome started to come to life and hold the Doctor back. The bonds holding both Berry and Spark back snapped, broken by Free. Berry quickly dashed and picked up the device but she felt a white hot pain searing through her mind. She was incapacitated in mere seconds, Spark rushing to her aid. He activated the device, quickly succumbing to the same effects of the Animus’s influence. In one swift motion with what little time Free had, she hurled the Isop Device at the Animus’s holding pod. The device activated as she fell to the ground, the Animus beginning to disintegrate.

The wooden dome around them began to wither away, dying and flaking off into thin embers that blew away with the slightest breeze. There was nothing left except the stone floor that the chamber once encompassed. The Doctor fell to the ground, falling unconscious for an unknown amount of time. Once he awoke he saw his friends looking down at him, helping the battered grey stallion up. He knew that they were saying something to him, but all he could focus on were the few remains of where the Animus once was. He was helped to the TARDIS, the lack of atmosphere and stress causing him to occasionally in and out of consciousness.

He knew that his friends must have said some goodbyes, as they always did. He took several deep breaths once in the console room again. He simply restarted the TARDIS’s dematerialization circuit, the ship slowly vanishing off the planet as it continued on its previous course. He needed to get away, just needed some rest. All he needed was the right time and space to recover, just what the Doctor ordere.

Author's Note:

Hey guys, Penny here. I’m trying out a new length for the next few Doctor chapters so I’m not spending the rest of my life finishing this massive story. I just wanted to say thank you so much for reading this big idea I had 10 years ago that I’ve been writing for the past 4. Over the course of this story I’ve grown as a writer and improved my skills so much. I hope you continue experiencing whatever I have to offer in years to come.

Your Pencil Pony,

Penny