> Doctor Whooves: Invasion of Manehattan
>  by Guillermo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A strange disease
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first rays of the sun streamed through the curtains, waking up the mare who was lying on the bed. With a groan, she pulled the blanket over herself and tried to go back to sleep, but her efforts were thwarted when the alarm clock on her nightstand began to blare. After futilely trying to drown out the strident noise, the mare gave up and accepted her defeat, getting up from the bed and standing on her four hooves, turning off the damn device.

She was an earth pony, with her cream colored fur and a burgundy mane, with a small pink stripe. Her cutie mark was a rose, matching her name, Roseluck. The mare yawned and she left her room, down the hall to the stairs that led to the first floor of the house, specifically, to the kitchen, where she turned on the coffee pot.

She placed three different cups on the counter and took out the can of milk and sugar, preparing everything for her friends when they came down for breakfast. Once the coffee was ready, Rose put on her mug, poured herself milk and two tablespoons of sugar, and sat at the kitchen table, allowing the caffeine to jump-start her system. After a few minutes, the sound of hoofbeats came from the stairs, and soon after, one of her best friends, Lily Valley, appeared. She was, like Roseluck, an earth pony, with pink fur and a golden mane, her cutie mark was a trio of white lilies. Like her friend that very morning, she groggily moved toward the steaming coffee pot.

"Good morning" she murmured as she started to put on the coffee.

"Good morning, Lily" Rose said with a smile. "Ready for today?"

"Uh-huh...I've got my suitcase ready" she muttered, putting down four spoonfuls of sugar. "And Daisy took care of safely packing the flowers, so we don't have to worry about that."

"Remind me to thank her."

"It would be enough for me if you always make me coffee" said Daisy's voice from the stairs. "Seriously, it would help a lot."

Daisy was, like her two friends, an earth pony, with pink fur and a lime green mane, her cutie mark depicting two daisies.

"I'm afraid that can't be" Roseluck said with a small laugh. "We had already agreed to share that task."

"Besides, it's not impossible," Lily argued as she sat down. "You only have to get up a few minutes earlier, it's not such a big problem."

"Yeah, but it gives me more time to sleep."

Daisy walked over to the coffeepot and put her cup on, then sat down next to her friends.

"Did you remember to tell everypony that the flower shop would be closed today?" Lily asked after taking a sip of her coffee.

"Yes" Roseluck replied. "I brought the flowers to our garden, asked Cheerilee to stop by when she could to water the plants, closed the stall and informed Mayor Mare, and left a sign at the stall to let the ponies know we're closing. If somepony places an order with us, we'll have it in the mailbox when we get back."

"Perfect, in that case, let's finish breakfast and get ready to catch the train, I don't want to be late."

"Lily, the exhibition is tomorrow, don't be so nervous" Daisy said as she rolled her eyes, to which her friend frowned at her.

"Yeah, but I don't know if the flowers will last that long locked up in boxes."

"For Celestia's sake, you know those boxes are made to hold flowers," Daisy muttered back.

Roseluck watched her friends' verbal exchange in silence, finishing her cup and getting up to go to the bathroom, quickly being noticed by Daisy.

"Hey! It's my turn to take a shower first."

"To have taken less time with your coffee" Rose said as she stuck her tongue out at her mockingly. "Besides, time is running out, we must hurry, miss 'I spend half an hour in the bathroom'."

Daisy looked away from her, muttering to herself that she was entitled to a little pampering, while Roseluck laughed and went upstairs to prepare for the long train ride.



Manehattan, the city that never sleeps, and that year, the venue for the 34th edition of the Equestria Flower Show, an exhibition made so that the best gardeners in the country could present their plants, whether they be flowers, cacti, bonsai... Roseluck and her friends always performed in the middle category, since despite not being rookies, they did not have the talent to enter the major leagues, where the gardeners not only showed the care they put into their plants and how beautiful they were, they also created true works of art. Hedges with various shapes, life-size statues made of flowers, last year the first place went to a scale model of the city of Canterlot made with flowers of all kinds.

This year, the event would be in the garden of the Alicorn Palace hotel, for a whole week. On Monday for the beginner category, on Tuesday and Wednesday for the intermediate category, on Thursday and Friday for the major leagues, and on Saturday the awards ceremony. Roseluck loved this event because it was an escape from her boring life in Ponyville, since, although her passion was gardening, after all it represented her cutie mark, repeating the same routine every day would eventually tire anypony out. 

In fact, the most exciting event she had ever experienced (not counting the return of Nightmare Moon or Discord) was almost six months ago when a stampede of rabbits destroyed their flower garden, and more than exciting it was devastating, after all, she and her friends depended on those flowers to pay their rent. Luckily, Twilight offered (rather, begged) them to accept half of her salary from Celestia and buy the lost flowers herself as compensation for what Applejack did, who offered them a discount on Apple Family products for two months.

After a half-day trip by train, they finally arrived at the hotel, and after drawing lots, Roseluck was chosen to be in charge of carrying the flowers that they had brought to the plot that the organization of the event had given them. She spent a full hour taking the pots out of their boxes and arranging them in such a way that they would stand out and draw attention to the naked eye. Satisfied with her work, she looked around, studying the other plots with ponies of all three breeds, there were even a few griffins and zebras, putting up their own pots, all watched over by a security team to make sure the contestants didn't try to sabotage each other.

Roseluck focused on the security team, then on the pots, and after feeling her stomach growl, she considered that she could go get something to eat and then go rest in the room that had been given to her and her friends. Humming cheerfully, she walked toward the hotel entrance, admiring the flowers the other contestants had brought, but her attention was quickly drawn to one pony in particular. It was an earth pony stallion, walking with a slow, unsteady step, pulling a small carriage with several pots filled with flowers.

Roseluck looked at him a little worried, since the pony was moving erratically, and as they got closer, she noticed the huge dark circles in his eyes. At one point, the stallion tripped and fell forward, crashing to the ground. The mare quickly went over to help the poor pony, and as she did so, she noticed that he not only had dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes were bloodshot as well.

"Are you okay?" she said as she helped him up, her eyes drifting to the pots to make sure none of his flowers had gone bad.

"Yes, yes... Thank you" he said, his voice weak but trying to sound friendly. "It was just a little dizziness."

Roseluck bit her lip as she studied the pony a little better.

"Maybe I'm messing where I'm not called, but you should see a doctor, you don't look very healthy."

"I know" the earth pony said with a sigh. "But I'm fine, I just haven't been able to sleep well lately, but thanks for asking."

Roseluck gave the pony a hesitant look before nodding and allowing him to continue on his way to his plot. After watching him for a few moments, she resumed her walk, already discarding the meeting. At that moment, what worried her most was the hunger and tiredness that a long day had caused her, and she really wanted to go to bed, tomorrow would be a great day, even if their flowers would not be analyzed until Tuesday.



Roseluck woke up slowly, shifting in her bed and yawning as she stretched. Her eyes went to the clock that she hung on the wall of the room that she shared with her friends, noticing that it was 7:50 am. Yawning again, she stood up, stretching her muscles a bit more before looking at the other two beds, seeing that only Daisy was in hers, Lily surely already downstairs for breakfast and to take a look at the flowers.

Roseluck went to the window, pushing aside the curtain a little to look out over the streets of Manehattan, the morning rays of the sun filtering through the buildings, enveloping the sidewalks in shadow, lined with dozens of ponies, and on the roads passed carriages going from one place to another. It was a big change from Ponyville, and the mare was always fascinated by the sight. That morning, however, she noticed something she had never seen before, something placed in one of the corners.

Squinting, she tried to make out the object in the distance, and if she had to guess, it resembled a blue phone booth, something that puzzled her. Those booths had not been very common, not even in the city that saw them born, Manehattan itself, and their magical communication technology was obsolete, since they could only communicate with stations that had the necessary arcane antennas, and to top it off, it could only be within a radius of two kilometers, and in a city as big as the metropolis that never slept, it was unfeasible. Even now, Roseluck didn't know of communication technologies that used magical phone lines, since they were superseded by radio, though the common pony still used letters. Long-distance communication was still in development.

"Will you close the curtain, please?" said Daisy's sleepy, annoyed voice, snapping Roseluck out of her thoughts.

Taking one last look at the cabin, Roseluck turned and looked at her friend with a smile.

"Don't complain so much, there isn't so much clarity either."

"It's still too much" she murmured as she covered herself with the blanket, making Roseluck laugh.

"Come on, we have to help Lily."

"The flowers aren't going to move anywhere, I don't see what we painted there" growled the mare as she looked at her friend, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, but we have to go. Besides, I want to have breakfast."

With that, she went into the bathroom to get ready while Daisy groaned in exhaustion and tried to fully wake up, out of the three of them, she had the worst time in the mornings. 

Twenty minutes later, Roseluck entered the hotel's cafeteria, in an area separate from the buffet, and she was alone, since Daisy was still in the bathroom and told her that she could go and she would catch up with her later. There were already several ponies there, most of them contestants or customers who couldn't afford the all-inclusive buffet, all having their breakfasts. The mare sat down at a table overlooking the pool, wondering not for the first time if she should pay to be able to spend more days there and thus have access to the areas reserved only for clients.

Her ears twitched as she detected the sound of hoofbeats approaching, and turning her head, she saw a pegasus mare approach with a smile, but there was something that bothered Rose. Like the pony from the day before, this mare had a wobbly gait, dark circles under her eyes, and bloodshot eyes, which put her on alert. Perhaps it was some kind of disease? She now regretted not being aware of the Manehattan news.

"Are you okay?" she asked when the mare was close enough to her, not allowing her to speak.

The pegasus blinked in surprise before giving her a slightly weaker smile and speaking in a weakened tone of voice.

"Yes, yes... Thank you, I just haven't been able to sleep well lately, but thanks for asking."

"It's strange, yesterday a pony told me exactly the same thing."

"Really?" she asked the mare as she produced a menu and notepad from under her right wing, placing the menu on the table. "Well, you shouldn't worry too much, it's probably just a coincidence."

Roseluck regarded the mare with a raised eyebrow before nodding. Even though something inside her told her that something was off, she dismissed it as her general boredom and her desire to go on an adventure and not look at it from the outside like she had in the release of Nightmare Moon and Discord.

"What will you drink?" said the mare as she put a pencil in her mouth to write.

Roseluck turned her attention to the menu, looking at the various dishes offered for breakfast, thinking of something that Daisy would like. Since the organization of the event paid for their accommodation and meals, she decided on a couple of well-loaded dishes to start the day with energy, Celestia knew that her friend needed it.

"Give me a plate of caramel waffles, a plate of eggs and fried hay, and two juices, one apple and one peach."

The pegasus nodded, giving her one last smile before picking up the menu and walking away from her with the same shaky step, but luckily, she didn't fall to the ground and kept her balance. Roseluck watched her for a few more seconds before focusing on the rest of the room, noticing something that set off her alarms again. Most of the ponies she watched also sported bags under their eyes, the ones that stood up had that wobbly gait, and if she had to bet, they had bloodshot eyes.

"Did you order my breakfast?" Daisy's voice said from behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Roseluck turned to look at her friend, who looked more presentable than she had that morning.

"Yes, a plate of fried hay and eggs."

"You know me well" Daisy said with a smile as she sat down.

"Of course I know my best friend" Roseluck said with a smile, making Daisy smile.

"That will be a blow to Lily."

"I don't think so, she's my sister from another mother."

"Ouch, cheap shot."

The two laughed at their exchange before calming down and speaking more calmly. But despite being with one of her best friends, Roseluck kept glancing at the other ponies, those who looked sick.

"Something happens?" Daisy said, snapping Rose out of her thoughts.

"No, why?"

"It's just that you seem distracted" Daisy commented with a raised eyebrow. "What happen?"

"Well…" Roseluck looked back at the ponies doubtfully before replying. "Haven't you noticed anything unusual?"

Daisy frowned, considering her response before shrugging and shaking her head.

"No, nothing out of the ordinary."

"Haven't you noticed that there are ponies that look sick?" Roseluck asked insistently. "Yesterday a pony fell to the ground, he was dizzy and looked like he hadn't slept at all, and this morning I saw the waitress with the same symptoms."

Daisy frowned, glancing from her around the cafeteria and noticing for the first time the ponies Roseluck mentioned.

"Maybe you're exaggerating. I mean, it could be equine flu, we're at the time."

"It's not equine flu," Roseluck snorted. "I've been through the flu, and so have you, and you know as well as I do that this isn't equine flu."

"Equine flu makes you dizzy and exhausted, which can look like lack of sleep" said Daisy with conviction, before looking worriedly at the other ponies. "I hope nopony infects me, the flu makes me feel terrible."

Roseluck snorted and looked away from her friend. Maybe she was right and she was just exaggerating, but there was still a little voice in her mind that warned her that something was up, something very wrong.



After passing through the cafeteria, both mares went out into the garden and headed to their assigned plot, where Lily was finishing watering the plants.

"You got up too early to water the plants, didn't you?" Daisy said with a raised eyebrow, to which Lily rolled her eyes.

"We need to keep the plants as perfect as possible for Tuesday."

"Have you had breakfast?" Roseluck interjected, making Lily groan in frustration.

"Yes I do."

"You better, I don't want it to happen like last year."

"For the last time, Daisy, it was only ONE time."

"Uh-huh, but we still had to carry your unconscious body to the bed."

Lily growled to herself, grumbling as she focused on the flowers in front of her. After a little innocent laugh, Daisy went over to check the flowers as well, analyzing which ones should be trimmed and making sure the petals were in perfect condition. Roseluck went to work as well, but stopped when she heard a crash behind her, and turning from her, her eyes widened with concern.

A unicorn stallion had passed out on the paddock in front of their plot, knocking over some of his pots in the process, breaking one of them. She quickly walked over to make sure he was okay as her friends did the same, being surrounded by a small number of onlookers.

"Hey, wake up!" Roseluck yelled as she crouched down beside the pony and turned him around, seeing his face.

His eyes, hidden behind his lids, moved from side to side, he had deep bags under his eyes and his fur was drenched in sweat. Lily replaced the fallen pots while Daisy pushed the broken pieces away from the stallion, looking at him worriedly.

"He's okay?"

"I don't know" Roseluck said, still not taking her eyes off the pony, then looking at the ponies present. "Is there a doctor around here?"

The ponies looked at each other worriedly, shaking their heads, but their attention was quickly drawn back to the fallen pony, who was already opening his eyes. Roseluck sighed in relief, but she frowned at the sight of his bloodshot eyes. Trying to ignore that, put on her best friendly smile.

"Are you okay? Do you want us to call an ambulance?"

The pony blinked a bit, trying to get his bearings, before looking at the mare. After a few tense seconds, he shook his head.

"No, no... Thanks. It was just a little dizziness."

"Are you sure?" Lily said.

"I'm fine, I just have n't been able to sleep well lately, but thanks for asking" said the pony as he stood up on his trembling hooves, helped by Roseluck.

The mare frowned, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu.

"That's what a pony told me this morning."

The pony blinked, looking at Roseluck in confusion.

"Really? Well, you shouldn't worry too much, it's probably just a coincidence."

Rather than relax, Roseluck became even more restless. If she had already been suspicious when noticing that several ponies had the same symptoms, being told the same words was already a sure sign that something really terrible was happening. Before she could voice her suspicions, the stallion turned back to his pots, groaning in despair at the disaster of one of them, using his magic to grab the fallen bouquet, still with a good mound of soil attached by its roots.

"Thanks for the help, but I have to go see if I can save these flowers."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lily said with concern, to which the stallion nodded.

"Yes, it was just a little dizziness."

Once again, the same words, causing Roseluck to frown even more.

"Let me come with you, sir" said a pegasus mare, dressed in the hotel's concierge uniform, to which the pony shook his head.

"No, no, no need…" the pony was silent for a few seconds before nodding. "Actually, yes, I could use the help."

Roseluck watched as the unicorn walked away from her along with the concierge, and the group of ponies dispersed, leaving only her and her friends.

"Poor pony, the flu hit him hard" Daisy commented.

"This isn't the flu," Roseluck confirmed with conviction.

"And what else can it be?" Lily asked tilting her head to the side.

"I…I don't know, but it's not the flu."

"Rose, you're exaggerating things" said Daisy as she rolled her eyes. "It's just an outbreak of equine flu."

"It's not," Roseluck protested with a little swipe of her hoof. "That pony said the exact same words to me as the waitress this morning and the pony I ran into yesterday."

"Well, the symptoms are similar" Lily argued. "It's normal that their phrases are similar."

"They don't look alike, they are exactly the same, word for word."

"Do you have any proof?" Daisy asked with a raised eyebrow, and seeing that her friend was silent, she went to their plot. "In that case, let's drop the subject, I want to finish soon to go see the rest of the exhibits."

Lily nodded and followed her friend, leaving Roseluck alone, who scowled at her friends.

"There's something going on here, I know" she muttered to herself.

"I think so" said a voice behind her, making her jump.

Turning, she saw an earth pony stallion surveying the patch of land that belonged to the pony. He had light brown fur, with a mane in a darker shade. He was wearing a jacket the same color as his mane, a green tie, and his cutie mark was an hourglass. The pony turned and regarded Roseluck with a smile.

"You're the first pony to notice it, congratulations. The rest dismiss it as equine flu or some other harmless illness."

Roseluck blinked in surprise, glancing at her friends, still busy, and approaching the stallion.

"Do you know what's going on?"

"Yup" he said with a smile. "But that is not something that should matter to you, that should matter to me. Go and enjoy this event while I take care of everything."

Roseluck looked at the pony doubtfully before speaking.

"We are in danger?" she asked, watching the pony's smile fade a few seconds before turning back to his.

"If I wasn't here, it would be a resounding yes, but I'm here, so you don't have to worry" he said with a smile as he started to walk away. "Enjoy the event and don't worry about a thing."

Roseluck watched as the stallion walked away, disappearing among the ponies. With a sigh, she walked over to her friends, praying he was right.
> A strange Doctor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun had begun to set, the shadows stretching thanks to the tall buildings of Manehattan. Roseluck, after a quick dinner in the cafeteria, was walking back to her room. She had spent the day exploring the garden and admiring the flower displays, the most impressive as always being those of the veterans, exchanging shifts with her friends to control the flowers, her turn in the last hours of the afternoon.

All day, she hadn't stopped thinking about the sick ponies or about that strange pony who had assured her that he would take care of everything. Had he told her the truth? Would he be able to do it? And more pressing still, what was he supposed to stop? Roseluck sighed to herself, getting used to the fact that she would most likely never find out, once again, she would watch the action from afar, although this time, she might not even see it. She finally made it to her room, entering only to find Daisy lying on her bed reading one of her romance books.

"And Lilly?" she asked her as she closed the door.

Daisy looked up and nodded at her in greeting before answering.

"When we were going back to the room, we found a service mare who fell to the floor. After seeing that she was okay, Lily offered to help her carry the dirty blankets and sheets to the laundry room, you know how she is, always willing to help others."

"And when was that?" Roseluck asked with a raised eyebrow, she had a bad feeling.

"Uh... an hour ago, more or less."

"And it hasn't bothered you that it's taking so long?" Roseluck grunted as she headed for the door.

"The laundry is in the basement of the hotel, I think it's obviously going to take a while" Daisy replied with a shrug. "You're exaggerating a lot."

Roseluck didn't reply, instead she left the room and walked briskly to the elevator in the building. She had a very bad feeling that grew stronger with each passing second, and she prayed that she was wrong. The doors opened in the hall, since it was not able to reach the basement, being outside the areas allowed for clients.

The mare walked through the corridors, trying to appear calm for the few ponies that still wandered around, arriving after a few minutes at the service stairs. Roseluck looked around her, making sure nopony was near her before she started down, a part of her berating herself for doing such a crazy thing. If it turned out that she was wrong and they caught her, they could kick her and her friends out of the Equestria Flower Show. But, in case something was going on and her friend was in danger, she couldn't sit idly by.

She finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, a door at the end indicating an employee-only area. Roseluck took a deep breath before carefully opening it, poking her head out and trying to find somepony, and failing to do so, she walked all the way inside. She was in a well-lit corridor, with several intersections that led to other areas, fortunately, there were indications of where everything was. Going with that, the mare walked towards the laundry, at first at a brisk pace, then at a brisk trot, finally running, her concern growing higher than ever.

Turning a corner, she found, at the end of the corridor, a few double doors ajar, and nearby, a cart with the hotel's dirty blankets and sheets. More worried now, Roseluck approached cautiously, afraid of making too much noise, in case there was something dangerous. Arriving at the doors, she opened them as quietly as she could and glanced inside, noticing that it was plunged into darkness.

Roseluck walked all the way in, squinting to try to see something, debating with herself if she should turn on the lights or it would be too risky. Her ears twitched as she heard something she couldn't quite make out, but as she concentrated better, it sounded... slimy. With a frown, she tried to get used to the prevailing darkness, and little by little, she began to distinguish the faint outlines of the objects, cars with dirty and clean blankets, washing machines anchored to the wall, but what most caught her attention, and it sent a shiver up her spine, it was the silhouette of a pony crouched on the ground, or rather, two.

After a few moments of thought, she headed for the light switch, praying it was just her friend having an affair. It was extremely unlikely due to Lily's personality, but it was preferable to the idea that she was forming in her mind. Reaching for the switch and flipping it on, light flooded the room, sending a jolt of worry and fear through Roseluck's body as her worst fears came true.

On the ground was Lily, her closed eyes flickering frantically under her lids and her body twitched every few seconds, and directly above her was a pegasus mare, which Roseluck dimly recognized as the one that had accompanied the pony that fainted earlier that morning. The chilling thing was that her eyes were not bloodshot, no, they were completely black, and from her mouth, monstrously open, several tendrils of the same color came out that flooded her eyeballs, being the source of the viscous sound, and connected with her friend's, entering her body. The mare, or whatever that thing was, looked up from her, never breaking the connection with her victim, and stared at Roseluck, who froze at the horrific sight.

"Wh-what...?" she said, trying to get out of her surprise, but seeing her friend closer, she gulped and steeled herself. "Wh-at a-re you do-doing to Li-Lily?!"

The thing stood up completely, and strangely she didn't wobble at all, the tendrils elongating before breaking in half, one part going back to its owner and another part going into Lily, who froze. The pegasus closed her mouth at last, and after a few moments, she began to speak in a hissing, otherworldly voice, making all of Roseluck's fur stand on end, a shiver running through her.

"We're upgrading her. She'll join us in the hive and she'll be stronger."

As she said this, Lily stood up, trembling at first, and opening her eyes, Roseluck could see that black tendrils were spreading, quickly covering her entire eye.

"Wh-what's go-going on?" Lily said with a trembling voice full of terror, looking at her friend. "Ro-Rose...he-help me...I...I..." As soon as her eyes turned pitch black, she immediately stopped trembling, her posture firming, and her friend's sweet voice became as unearthly as the pegasus's. "Join us, Roseluck, join the hive."

Lily... The thing that had possessed Lily began to walk towards Roseluck, who backed away, shaking her head as tears welled up in her eyes. Quickly, she spun around and tried to get away from her, but she didn't get very far before the thing lunged at her, knocking her to the ground and spinning her around, facing her.

"You don't have to worry, Roseluck, you won't feel pain anymore, you'll just obey the hive" the Not-Lily said before opening her mouth, several black tendrils coming out and twisting.

Roseluck, her face flooded with tears, closed her mouth tightly, clenching her teeth to prevent any of those foul abominations from entering. The tendrils met her lips and skirted around them, sliding inside with force and beginning to exert pressure to open her snout. The mare sobbed as she felt that she was losing the battle, wondering if she would die or become a willless puppet. A loud knock on the doors leading to the laundry interrupted her train of thought and drawing attention to those things, and thankfully, that meant the Not-Lily retracted her tendrils back into her own mouth.

"Hello, I finally found you."

Roseluck moved her head and, with her limited ability to move, she managed to see the same pony that told her he would take care of everything, smiling at things.

"I've been trying to locate your queen for days, and I thought maybe you could tell me something. One sample from you would be enough."

"You'll get whatever you want if you join the hive" the things said at once, the pegasus advancing towards the earth pony. "Join us."

"Okay, I see I won't be able to get a sample," the pony said with a shrug, before tucking his right hoof into his jacket and pulling out what looked like a short rod. "In that case, I'm going to save that pony and we'll both leave."

"You will not leave, you will both join the hive" said the pegasus before jumping.

The pony didn't move, but at the tip of the rod, what looked like a light bulb lit up blue and made a shrill noise that filled the room. The pegasus who had jumped fell to the ground with a shudder, screaming in sheer pain as she brought her hooves to her head. The Not-Lily did the same, throwing herself to the ground and freeing Roseluck, who got up slowly as she watched the things writhe in pain.

"Get out of here!" yelled the pony, still holding that rod alight.

Roseluck looked at him for a few seconds before focusing on her friend, unsure of leaving her there.

"But Lily..."

"I can save her, but not now. We have to get out of here, now."

Roseluck took one more look at the pony before looking back at Lily, who was still writhing in pain.

"I'm sorry..."

Roseluck ran for the exit, brushing past the pony and out into the hall, then turning to look at him. The stallion began backing out of the laundromat, turning off the machine and closed the doors. Once this was done, he pointed it towards the doors, turning it on, being watched curiously by the mare.

"What's that?"

"A sonic screwdriver" said the pony, turning off the device and putting it in its corresponding pocket. "I don't know what I'd do without it, and now, let's go before they break the door down."

And with that, the pony began to run, being followed shortly after by Roseluck.

"Can you save my friend?" Roseluck said as she ran alongside the pony.

"If I find the one behind all this, yes."

"But what are those things?"

"Do you really think this is the right time for explanations?" the pony said as he watched her. "Let's get to a safe place and later I'll tell you everything you want to know."

Roseluck bit her lip as she ran through the basement halls with that pony, thinking.

"Can I at least know your name?"

"I'm the Doctor" said the pony as he came to an abrupt stop next to some stairs, causing Rose to almost fall to the ground, turning in time to see him start to climb.

"Doctor who?" Rose asked as she followed the pony up the stairs.

"Only the Doctor," the pony said, looking over her shoulder with amusement. "What's yours?"

"Roseluck…" the mare replied as she looked at the so-called Doctor in confusion.

"Nice to meet you, now let's get out of this hotel."

Roseluck blinked, processing his words.

"Wait!" she told him when they reached the hotel corridors. "My other friend is here! We can't leave her behind!"

The Doctor began to run towards the hall, closely followed by Roseluck.

"I'd love to help your friend, but they're in a hive mind, so they're probably already..." The Doctor paused as they reached the hall, full of black-eyed ponies ready to pounce on them. "...waiting for us."

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it into the air, activating it as a few ponies approached, falling to the ground in spasms of pain, but not everypony was affected.

"Move next to me, the sonic waves only cover a radius of 10 meters around us" said the Doctor as he moved forward, Roseluck close to him, and his sonic screwdriver activated.

"You won't be able to escape us forever" said the ponies that were out of reach of the screwdriver at the same time, speaking with one voice. "Most of the inhabitants of this city have fallen to the hive, and our influence is spreading further."

"Who says I want to run away?" said the Doctor, standing with his back to the exit doors, while Roseluck went out into the street. "I will find your queen and end this."

The Doctor left the hotel, closing the doors and using his sonic screwdriver to lock them, then turning to Roseluck.

"Where are we going? If they were telling the truth, all of Manehattan is full of those things" Roseluck said worriedly.

"Luckily, I have the perfect place to shelter us."

The Doctor started running down the street, crossing to the other side. Roseluck watched him for a few seconds, then focusing on the door, which was already being pounded on by the possessed ponies.

"I'm sorry Lily, I'm sorry Daisy, we'll stop this madness" she whispered to herself as she ran after the Doctor.

In a short time they reached the end of the street, where was that telephone box that Roseluck had seen that morning, and now that she was closer to it, she could see that it was a box for the police. The Doctor stopped in front of the door, taking out a key and opening it.

"Come in, we'll be safe here" he told Roseluck with a smile before entering.

"In a cabin?" Rose said with a frown, turning to look at the hotel. "We haven't even gone that far!"

Receiving no response, Roseluck looked back into the booth, and after a few moments, she grunted to herself and stepped inside, only to widen her eyes in shock. Immediately after, she went out to look at the blue box, surrounding it.

"Th-this is not po-possible" she murmured as she touched the wood, giving little taps.

Several screaming monsters drew her attention, and turning around she saw that, coming out of the hotel, those monsters were running towards her. Looking back at the box, she walked in uncertainly and closed the door behind her.

"Th-they're getting closer…" she said, trying to recover from the shock she was going through.

The apparent police telephone box had a gigantic room inside it. The golden walls had hexagonal plates that shone with their own light, there were columns that resembled the branches of a tree around the room, a walkway connected to the center, where there was a circular control panel full of buttons, levers and other devices that she didn't understand, a glass column emerged and rose to the ceiling, connecting with a grayish pillar, and inside it, what looked like transparent pipes. The Doctor was sitting opposite Roseluck, watching her carefully.

"Don't worry about them, they won't be able to get through."

"Are you sure?" Roseluck said as she turned around to observe everything.

Behind her she could see the cabin doors, apparently made of ordinary wood. She found it hard to believe that they could resist.

"Not even the entire army of Guldus III could get through those gates, and trust me, they tried."

Roseluck nodded weakly, still looking around.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes... it's just... it's bigger on the inside."

"I know" said the Doctor with a smile. "Welcome to the TARDIS, Rose."
> The Hive
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"TARDIS?" Roseluck asked as she looked at the Doctor, who nodded.

"Yes, it means Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

Roseluck nodded, more focused on the impossible fact before her than on the Doctor's explanation. The mare closed her eyes and she took deep breaths, calming down, at that moment there were more important things. Opening her eyes, she focused on the strange pony.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" she said, making every effort to keep her voice calm. "What were those things? What have they done to my friend?"

"Those things, as you call them, are Symbiotes."

"Symbiotes?" Roseluck asked doubtfully. "And where did they come from? I never heard of them, not even in legends or tales, that I know of at least."

"Obviously you haven't heard of them, not even in stories," the Doctor said calmly. "They are not from this planet."

Roseluck opened her eyes, processing that information, although given what she had seen in just over an hour, the revelation that aliens existed was somewhat minor.

"Aliens."

"That's right" confirmed the Doctor.

"So this is an alien invasion," the Doctor nodded, confirming Roseluck's suspicions. "I always thought there would be spaceships."

"Not all invasions will be so conspicuous" replied the Doctor with a small laugh.

"But why use ponies?" Roseluck asked with a raised eyebrow, walking to the center of the room.

"As I said, they are Symbiotes, and they need a host to survive."

"I guess that's why the ponies look so…sick" Roseluck said with a frown. "The Symbiotes must be feeding on something."

"Exactly" said the Doctor with a smile. "Specifically, they feed on the vital energy of living things, although they are usually not as aggressive."

"They seem very aggressive to me" Roseluck said with a raised eyebrow. "They look more like monsters than aliens, and they're creepy."

"This hive at least," the Doctor said, frowning. "The Symbiotes were a peaceful race, and their hosts were the second intelligent species on their planet. Both species forged a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship, they gave them physical advantages and fed them in return" the Doctor smiled, nostalgia in his eyes. "They were a peaceful, prosperous and advanced society based on the coexistence of two species."

"If that is so, why is this hive not like that?"

"That's what I want to find out."

Roseluck watched the Doctor closely, her mind trying to keep up with the strange things she was experiencing. The memory of her friend came back to her, causing concern to appear on her face once again.

"If they feed on the life energy of their hosts... is my friend still alive?"

The Doctor was silent for a few seconds before smiling softly, reaching over to place his right hoof on Roseluck's shoulder.

"Yes, and I swear I will save her and all the ponies affected."

Roseluck stared at the strange pony that she had come into her life, that had saved her. Despite all the events of that day, a smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you."

"Don't give them" the Doctor said as he walked away. "Now, we must get going."

"Go for the queen, right?" Roseluck asked curiously, receiving a smile from the Doctor.

"Right, you are quite insightful."

That earned a smile from Roseluck. The Doctor turned and walked over to one of the screens on the control panel, pressing a few nearby keys and revealing a map of the city and surrounding land, several dots crossed out in red, one of them on what seemed to be the hotel from which they had left. The mare approached curiously, watching as the stallion studied the map.

"What are you looking for?"

"I'm trying to find a suitable place for the Symbiote queen," the Doctor murmured. "I've been looking for a week and haven't found anything."

"What kind of place exactly?"

"It has to be somewhere warm and humid, isolated from outside sounds, and a pond big enough to hold the queen."

"The queen has no host?"

"They would die in a day, no host can house a Symbiote queen in his body" the Doctor muttered. "A month ago, a meteorite fell here" he said pointing to a spot located on a cliff, overlooking the island that was Manehattan. "The queen must have stayed with a host to take her to safety, passing from host to host. But I have looked at all the underground caverns and caves that have pools, but I have found nothing, not even the one below the Alicorn Palace Hotel."

Roseluck watched the screen for a few moments before an idea crossed her face.

"Have you looked at the SPA Royal Paradise?"

The Doctor looked away and regarded Roseluck with a raised eyebrow.

"Why would I look there? To my knowledge, it doesn't have any underground caves."

"I know, but that SPA has the largest jacuzzi pool in the city, it is a humid environment, its waters can get hot, it is isolated from the outside and it has been closed for almost a month, at least it was when I came to register me and my friends to the Equestria Flower Show."

The Doctor stared at Roseluck, so long that the mare looked at him nervously.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Something wrong? Quite the opposite!" the Doctor said excitedly, starting to run around the control panel and pressing various buttons and pulling levers. "I don't know how I didn't think of it before! It's brilliant! I never would have imagined it!"

The pipes inside the pillar began to rise and fall as a whispering sound filled the room. A small tremor ran through the place, forcing Roseluck to grab onto something. A few seconds later, everything stopped and the Doctor ran towards the doors, being watched in terror by the mare.

"Those things are out there!" she yelled as she followed him.

"Yes, near the Alicorn Palace hotel" said the Doctor, turning his head to look at Roseluck with a smile. "But we're not there anymore."

The Doctor opened the door and went out, and despite Roseluck's fears, she took a deep breath before following him, and in doing so, she got a new surprise. They were facing the Royal Paradise, several blocks away, illuminated by the light of the moon that filtered between the buildings.

"It has moved," she said as she turned to look at the TARDIS.

"Disappears here and appears there" said the Doctor, close to Roseluck. "Wonderful technology, don't you think?"

Roseluck stopped looking at the TARDIS and focused on the Doctor, flashing a small smile.

"Yes, it is."

"Well, since you've taken it so well" the Doctor closed the door of the blue cabin and turned towards the SPA, "we're going to meet the royalty."

Roseluck nodded, looking at the SPA. With quick steps, they approached the doors, where the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to open them, allowing them to pass inside. They were in a fairly large waiting room, a counter in the center, and a door to the side that gave access to the interior of the building guarded by two ponies from the building's security, and as soon as they saw them, their eyes turned black. While the mare took a fearful step back, the Doctor moved forward showing no fear, even as the Symbiote-possessed moved into attack stance.

"You will not take another step, your daring ends here, you will join the hive."

"No need to be hostile" the Doctor said with a calm smile. "I request an audience with your queen in accordance with Convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."

The possessed ponies straightened up, staring at the Doctor, and if Roseluck had to guess, they were surprised.

"We should have figured it out, the technology you have access to is not available in this world. You can come through, follow us and we'll take you to the heart of the hive."

The two ponies opened the doors, waiting for their guests to move. The Doctor looked at Roseluck and gave her a reassuring smile, and although it wasn't very effective, the mare tried to reciprocate and walked beside him. They entered a corridor that had doors on both sides that led to different massage rooms, always escorted by the Symbiotes.

"What is Convention 15?" Roseluck asked quietly.

"It is a decree of the Shadow Proclamation calling for a cessation of hostilities in favor of parley and peaceful settlement."

"Are you going to trade these things?" Roseluck asked with a frown, receiving another from the Doctor, one that sent a small shiver down her spine.

"Those things are called Symbiotes, Roseluck, and as far as I know, they're the last of their kind. I'm not going to exterminate them without even giving them a chance."

Roseluck looked at the Doctor's serious face, looking away from him with some guilt.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, they have your friend, it's normal for you to act like that" said the Doctor understandingly.

Roseluck nodded, not very convinced, but when she felt the Doctor's hoof on her withers, she turned to see him smile.

"Everything will be fine, Rose."

Still flustered, she nodded. They both focused on the path ahead of them, coming to double doors guarded by two other ponies, who opened the doors for them. They entered a small hallway with two doors on either side leading to the locker rooms and others in front, and as they passed, they came to the Jacuzzi pool Roseluck had mentioned, air warm enough to generate a thin layer of sweat on the ponies' fur but not suffocating. There were dozens of Symbiotes surrounding the edge, some just keeping watch, others connecting the tentacles that protruded from theirs mouths with the waters, which were completely black.

"What are they doing?" Roseluck asked curiously.

"Feeding their queen with some of the life energy of their hosts" replied the Doctor. "It's the only way the queen has to feed."

The two stopped a few meters from the edge of the pool, whose black waters began to move and create ripples that crossed the surface before something emerged from the center. Roseluck opened her eyes, resisting the urge to back away as she watched the monster rise from the waters. A gigantic dragon head, or so it seemed, was coming out, but it didn't have any kind of scales. Its skin was as dark as the rest of the pool, smooth and drooling, its jaws had teeth, although they seemed to be an extension of its skin, for they had nothing in common with the teeth she knew, a crest of fine spines, running slightly down the neck, ending with completely red eyes, contrasting with the rest of its offspring.

"Roseluck, I present to you the Symbiote queen of this hive" the Doctor said calmly.

"You know us, but we don't know you, we don't think that's fair" said the beast, but without opening her mouth, speaking directly into their mind, causing Roseluck to panic.

"She's in my head…" she said, her eyes widening in terror, quickly calmed down by the Doctor.

"No, it's just basic telepathy, she can talk in your mind but not control you or read your thoughts" he argued, relieving Roseluck a little, then focusing on the Queen. "And you're right, it's not fair that I know who you are but you don't. I'm the Doctor, and before I go any further, I want to congratulate you."

"Really?" said the queen, tilting her head to one side.

"Yes, your plan is smart, very smart" the Doctor said as he walked forward. "Infecting the high command of the city so that they don't alert the ponies or the rest of the country was smart, but hiding you here" the stallion turned on his body, pointing to the room where they were. "It's more than that, it's brilliant! Nobody looking for a Symbiote would look here."

Roseluck looked blankly at the Doctor, frowning slightly. Was he seriously praising them? When he stopped, he regarded the queen with a serious frown.

"But still, I must ask you to please leave this planet. You have taken away from these ponies their freedom, their free will, and that is not right."

"That is not possible, Doctor" said the queen. "We are the last Symbiote hive in the universe, expelled from our world by our ideas, and that saved us from the War, if we leave this world, we will die and our race with us."

The Doctor frowned further at the word 'war', remaining silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"That's why I have an offer for you. If you agree to go and give the ponies back their freedom, I will take you to a planet where there is a species willing to voluntarily enter into symbiosis with you."

"Are you talking about living a peaceful way like our race did for generations?" the queen said, seeing how the Doctor nodded. "Never. Pacifism led our race to extinction at the expense of a more belligerent and bloody race."

The Doctor was silent, watching the queen, who began to create several tentacles around her head.

"I'll just say it one more time, take my offer, or I'll stop you, and I can't guarantee that your hive will survive."

"Are you threatening to destroy us, Doctor?"

"If you leave me no choice, I will" the Doctor watched the tentacles out of the corner of his eye, starting to pull out the sonic screwdriver.

Before he could activate it or do anything else, the tentacles shot toward his with speed, causing him to drop the screwdriver and fall to the ground. Roseluck's eyes widened and she took a few steps back, noticing how the Symbiotes around her prepared to attack at their queen's command. The Doctor squirmed, feeling the tentacles tighten around him, especially around his neck.

"Brave words from someone who is about to join our hive" said the queen. "Our hordes will spread to this city, then to the rest of the country, and soon, the entire world. Every species on this planet will join us."

Roseluck watched in terror as the Doctor was imprisoned, the Symbiotes surrounding her, she was finished. Her eyes went to the sonic screwdriver, an idea starting to form, but the presence of those things around her intimidated her. The mare closed her eyes tightly and took deep breaths, she couldn't afford to panic, if that thing was true, everypony's fate... no, everycreature's fate was at stake.

Just as the Symbiotes lunged at her, Roseluck leaped forward, grabbing the screwdriver with her hoofs. With some difficulty, she managed to aim it at the possessed ponies and activated it, causing them to fall to the ground with cries of pain, but the deepest was the queen's. Trembling in pain, the tentacles holding the Doctor weakened, causing him to fall to the ground. The stallion got up, recovering from the blow, and turning to look at Roseluck, who hadn't gotten up from the ground and was still aiming at the Symbiotes.

"Well done Rose!" the Doctor yelled as he quickly approached.

"I... I did it?" Roseluck asked with wide eyes. "Holy Celestia, I did it!"

"Yes, you did," the Doctor said with a smile, holding out a hoof for the screwdriver. "You saved me."

Roseluck blinked and looked at the Doctor, a small smile on his face.

"I... I guess we're at peace" she said as she handed him the sonic screwdriver.

"Yes, I think so" as soon as the screwdriver was deactivated, the Symbiotes began to calm down, but not for long, as the Doctor placed it between his teeth and turned it back on. "Let's go, I think the negotiations are over."

The Doctor helped Roseluck to his feet and they both ran towards the doors.

"You... you won't be able to escape from us. We... we are a legion... you won't be able to stop us" said the queen with difficulty, enduring the sonic attack to which she was being subjected.

"Of course I'll stop you, I'm the Doctor and that's my job" he said turning around to look directly at the queen. "And you made a grave mistake in turning down my offer."

Roseluck opened the doors, being followed by the Doctor, who held the queen's gaze for a little longer before turning away from her. They ran through the corridors at full speed, the few Symbiotes they came across being repelled by the sonic screwdriver that was still active. Leaving the street, they headed towards the TARDIS, stopping in front of its doors.

"Keep it active in case more come" the Doctor said as he handed the screwdriver to Roseluck, who activated it right away, pointing around their.

As the Doctor opened the doors, an infernal roar emanating from the SPA was heard throughout the street, giving Roseluck the chills and drawing the stallion's attention.

"What was that?"

"The invasion... it has begun."



Daisy looked up from the book she had been reading, turning her head to look at the clock, half past ten, and looking out the window, she saw that it had been night for a long time, which made her frown. It had been a long time since Roseluck left, too long, even if she had gone to the basement. A part of her began to wonder if her friend was right and something was up. With a sigh, and vowing that she would lecture Rose if she was okay, invite her to her favorite restaurant if she wasn't, she got up from the bed and left their room.

The hallway was quiet at this hour, but it was still illuminated by the magical lights. Daisy moved toward the elevator, thinking to go to the lobby and ask for her friends, and if nopony was there, she would go to the basement. A few meters away, the doors opened, revealing Lily, who half staggered out, causing the mare to frown. She had told Roseluck that what she was getting to the ponies was equine flu, but as far as she knew, it didn't catch it that fast.

"Lily? Are you okay?" she asked as she approached.

Lily raised her head, and for a single second, she seemed to show panic, but it was quickly hidden by a smile.

"Yes, yes, it's just a little dizziness."

Daisy raised an eyebrow, for the first time that day, she was beginning to see what Roseluck had told her. Studying her friend, she noticed that her fur was a bit matted, as if she had fought somepony, and her eyes were bloodshot with deep bags under her eyes.

"Like the pony this morning? Because he said the same thing."

"Really? Well, you shouldn't worry too much, it's probably just a coincidence."

Daisy frowned even more. Her eyes went to the elevator, whose doors had closed.

"Where's Roseluck? She had come looking for you."

"I do not know where she..."

Lily trailed off, completely silent, confusing Daisy. Her posture straightened and her eyes began to turn black, making her friend back away.

"Wh-what's wro-wrong wi-with yo-your e-eyes?"

"Join us, Daisy, join the hive."

"U-us?"

The doors to the rooms burst open, and dozens of ponies with the same black eyes spilled out into the hallway, watched by a terrified Daisy.

"Wh-what's go-going on?"

"You ponies will be promoted to a higher status, joined to the hive " the ponies said at once. "Join us."

The possessed Lily moved forward, opening her mouth, several tentacles coming out and preparing to infect a new body. Daisy tried to escape, but was held back by two possessed ponies, with no choice but to watch as the thing that had possessed her friend came after her, and before long, she would be just another puppet.
> Invasion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Doctor Remedy, a unicorn stallion, entered the hospital room, where there was a pegasus lying on the bed, found in the middle of the street an hour earlier near the hospital after suffering a sudden faint. Nearby was one of the nurses, who had been with the patient ever since.

"Well, how do you feel?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Fine, fine... Thanks. It was just a little dizziness."

"Uh-huh, the same was said by several ponies before you."

"Really? Well, you shouldn't worry too much, it's probably just a coincidence."

"My job is to worry," the doctor said, checking the clipboard he carried with him. "Nurse, can you come with me for a moment?"

The doctor approached the door, followed by the nurse.

"Is something wrong, doctor?"

Remedy said nothing at first, focusing on the earth pony mare in front of him. A few hours ago she had been perfectly fine, but now, she was swaying in the same way, the same bloodshot eyes and the same dark circles.

"What do you think?"

"Well, it could be equine flu" she said with a friendly but extremely exhausted smile.

"Uh-huh, but he doesn't have most of the flu-related symptoms and a lot of ponies are showing the same symptoms as him, plus they keep saying the same words."

"Well, it's probably just a coincidence. Don't worry too much, doctor."

The doctor watched her closely for a few seconds before sighing. He had seen that strange disease spreading in the city for almost a month, and at first, his superiors thought the same, but one day, they changed their minds, overnight. As much as he pleaded with them, they would dismiss it as common equine flu and a coincidence, preventing any kind of quarantine or attempt to warn other cities, much less the princesses. Resigned, he prepared to get on with his work, but the patient on the bed and the nurse bolted upright, their eyes starting to turn black, much to Remedy's dismay.

"Join us, join the hive."

The doctor stepped back and, with a quick step, left the room and closed it shortly before the nurse left. As soon as the door closed, they started banging, trying to escape.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" said a nurse behind him, looking terrified.

"Quarantine the building, and I don't care what the hospital director says!"

"GET OUT OF ME!!"

The doctor blinked and turned, his hooves still on the door, and saw that there were more possessed ponies in the hallway, one of them pouncing on the mare that had spoken to him and the ponies that weren't infected with whatever this virus was, illness, or whatever. The infected turned to him and began to get closer and closer.

"Join us doctor, join the hive."

The doctor gave up, backing away from the door and letting those things out. His eyes searched for a way out, but it was too late, he was surrounded. His last thought before one of the infected lunged at him was a silent prayer for somepony to save them. He doubted Equestria would survive this plague, and he prayed he was wrong.



The Doctor entered the TARDIS quickly, followed by Roseluck, who closed the door behind them.

"Tell me you have a plan" she said as she approached the Doctor, handing him the sonic screwdriver.

"I'm still on it."

Roseluck blinked as she watched the Doctor move around the control panel, thinking.

"Haven't you thought anything?"

"I'm on it, I tend to improvise most of the time."

Roseluck looked at the Doctor in disbelief, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Improvise? Are you telling me you're going to save us all by improvising?"

"It's served me well so far" the Doctor said with a shrug. "I need to take out the Symbiotes, and their only weaknesses are fire and loud and/or sonic noises."

"I hope you're not thinking of using fire" Roseluck whispered.

"Of course not! First, that would kill the hosts as well, and second, I need to spread it throughout Equestria, so loud noises are the only option left, but I need a method to spread it, but...how?" "

Roseluck was silent, sitting as she watched the Doctor walk by. After a few seconds, he stopped and looked at her with wide eyes.

"I already have it!"

"Really?"

"Radio!" the Doctor said as he walked over to Roseluck and grabbed her by the shoulders. "That's what I need! You ponies have spread radios all over the country, there's practically no house in Equestria that doesn't have at least one radio!"

The Doctor turned away from a confused Rose and went back to walking in circles.

"But I need to amplify the sound of the sonic screwdriver and make the frequency big enough to…" The Doctor stopped again, a smile on his face, and began pressing buttons on the control panel.

Having a suspicion of what was going to happen, Roseluck caught herself in time as the TARDIS began to travel, coming to a stop in no time. The Doctor ran towards the door, followed by a confused mare, but as she left, her doubts were resolved.

"The biggest radio transmitter in all of Equestria!"

They were in front of a ten-story building with a huge transmission tower on top, several antennas pointed in different directions. Roseluck watched it for a few moments before turning to the Doctor.

"What's the plan then?"

"We will enter the building and go to a recording room where I will record my sonic screwdriver, once that is done, we will go to a control room to transmit the recording to all possible radio frequencies" he replied as he placed the screwdriver in his mouth to avoid the possessed.

Roseluck looked around the building and nodded, emboldened by her actions at Royal Paradise, although she couldn't deny that there was still a small part of fear in her.

"Let's get going then."

"Roseluck, every moment I spend with you I like you better" the Doctor said with a smile as he started to move forward.

Using the sonic screwdriver, they opened the doors, arriving at a fairly large hall, with a counter and several armchairs and sofas so that those who arrived could sit down to wait for their appointments. The Doctor entered one of the corridors, walking at a brisk pace, reaching the elevators in a few minutes, but without stopping, to Rose's confusion.

"Aren't we going to use the elevators?"

"If my suspicions are correct in that building there are, or will be, Symbiotes that block our path, and that includes disabling the elevators. Do you want to be in one when they cut the cable?" said the Doctor looking at Roseluck over his shoulder.

"I'd rather avoid it," the mare muttered.

The Doctor nodded and was about to say something, interrupted by the sound of roars coming from behind them, and when they both turned, they saw, round the corner, six Symbiotes, all with black eyes and tentacles coming out of their mouths. The only thing keeping them from getting closer was the sound of the sonic screwdriver.

"Let's get going, now" the Doctor suggested as he began to run, followed by Roseluck.

The Symbiotes roared and followed, staying out of range of the sonic screwdriver, but knowing it wouldn't last forever.



Steam Tracks, an earth pony, was taking off his uniform in the locker room at the Manehattan train station, being the only one there, as his train was the last of the day, and the night train had already left ten minutes earlier. Stepping outside, he was ready to go to his house, which was near the station, for a well-deserved night's rest. Leaving, he saw that everything was empty except for a unicorn janitor cleaning the floor, a few magical lights turned on to facilitate his work, and accompanied by the sight of the decommissioned train he had piloted.

"Good evening" said Steam.

"Likewise, sir" replied the concierge giving him a greeting.

"Working late?"

"That's right, somepony has to clean, ponies aren't usually that clean late at night. It could be worse though, I could be designated at rush hour" the unicorn said with a laugh, followed by Steam.

"Yeah, I've come here at rush hour and it's a mess, sometimes I think you should be the ones charging more."

"I think the same" said the unicorn with another laugh. "My husband always tells me, they should..."

His words were interrupted by what sounded like a roar, no, many roars. Both ponies shifted their gaze to the lookout overlooking the city, which had the stairs leading to the station on either side.

"What was that?" Steam asked.

"No idea, but it didn't look like a pony."

The roars sounded again, this time much louder, and closer. Frowning, the janitor started toward the railing.

"I would not do that."

"Why? I'm just going to look, maybe somepony needs help."

At that moment, a pony appeared quickly, not up the stairs, climbing up the railing, crouching on the metal, and glaring black eyes at both ponies.

"You will join us."

More ponies clambered up beside him, some climbing the stairs, and a few pegasi flying close by, all with black eyes and showing tentacles sticking out of their mouths. The one who spoke first raised his right hoof and pointed directly at Steam.

"You will lead us to the rest of Equestria."

Steam didn't know what was going on, but what he did know was that he couldn't let those things go out of the city, and since that station was the only one in the city that went out to the rest of Equestria, it was his responsibility. The Taken opened his jaws and let out a mighty roar, and at the same time, everypony else around him jumped at the unsuspecting ponies. Letting his survival instincts take over, he turned and ran, trying to remember the secondary exits.

He heard dozens of wings flapping behind him, and before he could dodge it, at least two pegasi launched themselves at his back, knocking him to the ground. He tried to resist as best he could, but in the end they turned him around, coming face to face with one of the possessed pegasi, his tentacles writhing and preparing to go into his mouth. Even though Steam closed his snout with all his might, the black tendrils were more powerful and forced their way in, possessing his body.

A few minutes later, he stood up, the last moments of consciousness he had were of sheer terror before he found himself attached to the hive. Once the process was complete, he made his way to the train as the possessed entered as many cars as possible. In a few hours, the cities closest to Manehattan will join the hive.



The Doctor and Roseluck ran up the stairs as fast as they could, the sonic screwdriver active to keep the Symbiotes away.

"Do you know where to go?!" Roseluck yelled between gasps, if she got out of this, she would commit to more exercise.

"Sort of! I talked to the founder of the building once and he gave me a tour! If it hasn't changed much since then, let's go to the sixth floor!"

As confused as she was, Roseluck decided to leave the questions for another time. Both finally reached their destination and ran a few more minutes before reaching a door, and next to it, a sign that read 'Recording room number 3'. The Doctor paused, a smile on his lips, but turning, he saw the Symbiotes approaching.

"Okay Rose, I need you to use your earth pony strength and open the door."

Roseluck watched the Symbiotes too, stopping just on the edge of the sound of the sonic screwdriver.

"Can't you open it with that thing and keep the noise down?"

"No, right now the sonic wave is increasing, it's just noise. If I start to open that door, the wave will decrease in power."

Roseluck bit her lip before turning her back on the door and, putting all her strength into her rear hooves, she pounded on the wood. Despite the whiplash of pain in her legs, not accustomed to hitting, the door swayed before her superior earth pony strength. The mare knocked four more times before the gate gave way, allowing them through. The Doctor entered quickly, with Rose following him, and he closed the door as best he could.

"Find anything to block the door! I'll focus on stopping them from getting in!" the Doctor yelled.

Roseluck turned, surveying the room. In front of them was a panel full of buttons and recording systems, including a cassette recorder, and in front of this, a window that revealed a soundproof room with some instruments and about three microphones, a door to one side to allow entry. But what interested her was a sofa in the corner and some lockers. Thinking quickly, Rose grabbed the lockers first and dragged them in front of the door, following with the sofa.

"Ready."

The Doctor deactivated the screwdriver, placing it in his pocket and entering the soundproof room. Once in front of the microphone, and looking at Roseluck through the window, he spoke.

"Do you know how to record?"

"Uh..."

"It doesn't matter, do as I tell you and we'll be done quickly."

Roseluck nodded, but was startled to hear a knock behind the door, but before turning around, the Doctor caught her attention.

"Don't focus on the door! Focus on me and we'll be done."

Roseluck nodded, taking a deep breath and getting ready to listen to the Doctor, he was the only hope that Equestria had at that moment.



Babs Seed snuggled against her older sister's fur, both of them in the little filly's bed, their eyes never leaving the door. Outside, through the window, came the roars of those things, spreading through the city like a plague, but that did not concern them at the moment, they had something much worse in their own house.

"Let us in, little ponies, join your mother in the hive."

Babs sobbed, hugging her sister tighter. Their mother had been sick for two days, but that night, she woke up Candy Apple, the eldest of her daughters, pouncing on her like a rabid animal with black eyes. She barely managed to escape and barricade herself with her sister in her room.

"What's wrong with mom?" Babs asked fearfully, being caressed by Candy.

"I don't know, but I'm sure she'll recover."

"Heed your mother, join the hive."

I hope so, she thought to herself.



The Doctor put his sonic screwdriver back in his pocket, ending the recording. Roseluck followed his instructions and focused on the cassette recorder, which spun out a brand new one. The stallion left the soundproof room and approached the mare, grinning broadly.

"I said you could, now grab that cassette and get ready to get out of here."

As he said this, he walked over to the door, putting the screwdriver between his teeth and activating it, replacing the incessant banging with cries of pain. Roseluck complied, taking the cassette with the newly made recording in her mouth and removed the barricade. Glancing at each other, they both nodded before leaving, barely paying attention to the Taken writhing on the floor, and proceeded down the hall to the stairs, starting up again, just in time to hear the Symbiotes start up.

They stopped on the tenth floor, running a little further until they reached a door where the Doctor stopped, and after looking back and considering that the Taken were far enough away, he turned off the sonic waves and opened the door with the screwdriver. Once inside, the stallion blocked the entrance again, and after grabbing Roseluck's cassette, he focused on the control panel that was in charge of transmitting to the multiple radio frequencies.

"Lock the door, Rose, I have to get everything ready to broadcast to all of Equestria, just in case."

Despite working under pressure, Roseluck did as the Doctor ordered, but only found two lockers. Groaning to herself, she barricaded them, just in time for the first blows.

"Okay, that's it, but I don't know if it will last long."

"It worked before, didn't it?" the Doctor said, using his screwdriver on the control panel.

"Yes, but there was a sofa" Roseluck muttered.

After another blow, the mare couldn't take it anymore and she decided to use her own earth pony strength to block the door, turning to face the Doctor.

"What are you doing?! Activate it already!"

"No, first I have to make it broadcast on all existing radio frequencies and spread across the country in case any Symbiote has escaped from the city" replied the Doctor, still working.

Roseluck growled but kept quiet. The blows became stronger and stronger, in fact, they seemed more powerful than last time. With her sweat covering her forehead, she put all the strength she could into her muscles. The Doctor moved frantically, using the sonic screwdriver to increase the frequency of the signal, the number of frequencies that would receive it...

"Just a little more... I got it!"

With a smile, the Doctor pointed the screwdriver at the panel, pausing for a moment and turning his head towards the door, where the knocking could still be heard. After a few moments of silent deliberation, he activated the frequency. Seconds later, the knocking on the door was replaced by cries of pain, even louder and more piercing than the previous times, giving Roseluck a chill. Had they won?



The radios in the Alicorn Palace hotel began to play at the same time, and although it should be impossible, they were heard in all its facilities. The Symbiotes screamed and writhed on the ground in sheer agony as the waves destroyed them. Lily and Daisy were together, writhing on the ground, when their mouths fell open and the black mass came out of their bodies, rendering them unconscious, evaporating shortly after into the air.



Steam woke up slowly, feeling exhausted, and when he realized where he was, his eyes widened. As tired as he was, he used his knowledge to stop the speeding train as quickly and safely as he could, and once he did, he sighed in sheer relief. But he didn't have time to relax, he could hear ponies in the other carriages, and they were surely very confused, and as the pilot in command, it was his responsibility to calm them down, even if he wasn't.



Candy and Babs watched the door cautiously. A minute before, the radio in their house had begun to play with a strident noise, one that was present in the street, causing cries of pain and agony, including those of their mother. After another minute of waiting, two new knocks shook the door, making the two sisters flinch, but hearing the voice, the relief was greater.

"Babs?! Candy?! Are you okay?! For Celestia's sake, tell me you're okay!"

Looking doubtfully at her little sister, Candy told Babs to wait while she opened the door. After a few seconds of indecision, in which her mother kept begging them to tell them something, she opened the door. There was her mother, her eyes looked just as sick, but they no longer had that shade of black, and there were tears running down her cheeks. Without letting her eldest daughter speak, the mare hugged her daughter tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm so sorry! That thing wasn't me!"

Candy was surprised for a few moments before returning the hug.

"I know mom, I know, it's okay…" she felt weird having to comfort her mom, but she knew that at that moment, she needed it.

The mare turned away from her daughter and focused on Babs, who was still watching them from the bed. With another sob, she spread her front paws in invitation.

"That's it, honey, mom's here."

Running, Babs jumped out of bed and threw herself at her mother, hugging her with immense strength and relief. Her mother was back to being the loving mare she remembered, and though she didn't know how, that was enough for her.
> Anywhere in space and time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The screams died down little by little, but Roseluck was still reluctant to move away, at least not until the Doctor moved to stand beside her.

"We can open the door now."

"We... we have won?" Rose asked, still a little uncertain.

The Doctor nodded and, with Roseluck's help, cleared the door, opening it with the sonic screwdriver. On the other side were the ponies that had followed them, although there were more than the mare remembered, most likely they had increased their number during the chase. A few were getting up, and although they still looked sick, their eyes were no longer bloodshot.

"What happened?" one of them said, looking around and stopping at the Doctor.

"That you remember?"

"I…I remember being at work when my boss…" His eyes widened and a shiver ran down his body. "Holy Celestia, his eyes...he had...he had tentacles in his mouth and..."

"It's over, you're safe, and your boss won't have tentacles in his mouth anymore" said the Doctor with a hint of a smile. "Can you help them?"

The pony followed the Doctor's gaze to the rest, nodding slightly.

"Good, we have something to do, come on Rose."

Roseluck hesitantly followed the Doctor, going down the stairs much more calmly. There was something wrong with him, it didn't look like they had won.

"Something happens?"

"We have to see the queen."

Roseluck blinked and looked at the Doctor in confusion.

"But we got it, I thought she..."

"She's the queen, she can survive the sonic waves much better than the rest of the hive, but she won't last long."



The TARDIS landed, and when Roseluck got out, she noticed that they were in the small room just before the Jacuzzi, where the changing rooms were. The Doctor left, closing the door, and advanced, followed by an insecure mare. The room was now empty of ponies, most likely having left after regaining control of themselves. The waters were almost completely clear, except for a few areas with that black mass.

"She's dead?" Roseluck asked, not daring to approach.

"No," replied the Doctor, stepping closer to the edge. "But she will be in no time, right?"

The black masses began to gather, and the queen showed herself again, but this time, she was not as terrifying as the first time Roseluck saw her. Her head no longer resembled that of a dragon at all, she had no fangs, no scales, not even a snout, just those red eyes, much duller now than when her hive lived. She looked like she was going to melt at any moment and her height had dropped to the level of the Doctor.

"And it's your fault, Doctor... Our hive... our family... annihilated at your hooves..."

"I warned you" replied the Doctor, without changing his expression. "But you can still save yourself, accept my offer now, before it's too late... but keep in mind that you won't be able to take control of my mind."

"How could we take the mind of a Time Lord?" the queen grunted, causing Roseluck to look at the Doctor in confusion, who kept his face impassive. "We were stupid not to see it, not to predict it. Your ship is not only superior to that of this world, is higher than that of thousands of species in the entire universe, right? The technology of the gods."

"Your time is running out, come with me, and regenerate your race. Symbiotes don't have to die."

"We will not obey the orders of a Time Lord. We would rather die than continue a peaceful legacy that brought us extinction."

The queen roared with all her might one last time, her body melting and merging with the water, until she disappeared. They both stared at the Jacuzzi for a few moments before Roseluck dared to speak.

"She's...?"

"No, not yet... It will take a while, but she doesn't have the energy to create more of her brood or start a new hive, and at dawn, the filters in the pool will take care of removing the remains of her."

The Doctor fell silent, Roseluck at his side, none daring to speak, looking at the remains of the Symbiote queen, the last of the Symbiotes... and soon there would be no more.

"She... she call you a Time Lord, what is that?" Roseluck asked, looking at the Doctor.

He was silent for almost a full minute before speaking.

"They are my race."

"Then you are..."

"An alien, yes," the Doctor looked at Rose with a faint smile. "Do you have something against that?"

"No, no" Roseluck replied hastily. "You saved us, I can't have anything against you just because you're from another race."

The Doctor let out a bitter laugh, taking one last look at the Jacuzzi before turning around.

"Come on, I think your friends should be waiting for you."

Roseluck took one last look at the black masses, despite what she had done, she felt sorry for the queen. With a sigh, she followed the Doctor to the TARDIS, eager to see her friends again.



Roseluck came out of the TARDIS, on the same corner it was on the first time she entered, the Alicorn Palace hotel nearby. The mare turned to see the Doctor leaning against the door, giving her a smile.

"Well, here we are."

"Thanks for bringing me" Roseluck said with a smile, causing the Doctor to shake his hoof.

"Don't thank me, it's the least I could do. If it wasn't for you, I would have discovered the queen's location tomorrow."

Roseluck raised an eyebrow at that.

"Really? I remind you that you told me you had been looking for a week."

"Precisely why I said I would have discovered it tomorrow. I have a prodigious brain, I would have discovered it in time."

"Sure, and I'm sure you would have done everything else without help" Rose replied with a small laugh.

"No, not that, you did a good job, Roseluck."

They both looked at each other for a few moments, the Doctor smiling at the mare with sincerity and gratitude. After a while, Roseluck bit her lip and spoke.

"Now what are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to look for traces of the Symbiotes in Equestria and the rest of the world, just in case" the Doctor replied with a shrug. "A single one of them in good condition can reproduce and, over time, create a new queen."

"In that case, you should go now."

The Doctor looked down, thinking, before nodding and returning a weak smile.

"You're right. It's been a pleasure, Roseluck, I hope we meet again."

"Me too..."

They both looked at each other before the Doctor entered his TARDIS, and after a few moments, the small light bulb on top began to flicker to the rhythm of the whisper she had heard inside, and before long, it began to fade away, as if it was being erased from reality. In the end, the whisper grew distant before disappearing forever, leaving Roseluck alone, who bit her lip uncertainly. Had she done wrong? Should she have asked him to let her travel with him?

Roseluck shook her head, she couldn't go with him, she had responsibilities, and one of them was to go back to her friends. With a sigh, she turned and headed for the hotel, entering the lobby. As she expected, it was empty, the guests had surely already gone upstairs to their rooms. Going up in the elevator, she went to her room, taking a deep breath before opening the door. Inside it, her two friends were still awake, Lily in her bed and watching Daisy, who kept pacing the room.

"Hi" Roseluck said nervously, closing behind her.

Her friends turned their heads quickly and, in the blink of an eye, they had caught her in a tight hug.

"Holy Celestia, you're alright!" Lily yelled, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"We were starting to get worried!"

Roseluck didn't say anything, instead she accepted the hug, letting out her own tears. Her friends were safe. When they parted, Daisy gave her a guilty look.

"We should have listened to you, if we had, none of this would have happened."

"You don't have to apologize, really."

"Of course we have," Lily protested, her face showing guilt and fear. “I… I attacked you… I… I…”

"You weren't going to do anything, the Symbiotes controlled you."

Her two friends looked at each other in confusion before focusing on Roseluck, who realized she would have some explaining to do. It was going to be a long night.



"And the second prize for the intermediate category goes to...!" the unicorn stallion in charge of giving out the prizes paused briefly as he read the card, a perpetual smile on his face. "Roseluck, Daisy, and Lily Valley!"

The ponies in the room cheered loudly as the aforementioned mares rose from their assigned table, well, two of them. Grimacing, Daisy nudged Roseluck, who had been staring blankly at the stage but not really paying attention. With her cheeks turning a little red, she followed her friends to take her prize, a silver trophy. Despite the almost successful invasion, the organization didn't cancel the Equestria Flower Show, partly because it was already paid for, partly because there wasn't much damage (mostly because much of the hotel was infected before the invasion, so the Symbiotes had no reason to destroy anything) and partly at the insistence of the participants.

After collecting the prize, the three of them returned to their table, and as they sat down, Rose looked at the stage again but without really paying attention to it.

"Well, Pinkie is going to be disappointed," said Daisy. "The poor mare had surely prepared a party for us to achieve first place."

"But it's not that bad" Lily argued with a smile and a comforting tone. "That's a higher ranking than we got last year, next year we will get the first prize, isn't it, Rose?"

"Sure" answered the mare with a shrug, absentmindedly.

Her two friends looked at each other before Daisy growled.

"Okay, it's over."

She nudged her friend, causing her to snap out of her thoughts and look at her friends in confusion.

"What's happening?"

"That's what we should ask ourselves," Daisy said narrowing her eyes.

"You've been more distracted than usual, what's wrong with you?" Lily asked with concern.

Roseluck looked between her two friends doubtfully. A part of her wanted to argue that she was fine, but seeing their face, she knew that wouldn't work. With a resigned sigh, she began to speak.

"It's just that I haven't stopped thinking about the Doctor."

Her two friends looked at each other, sighing to themselves. Daisy gave her friend a smile.

"Okay, I get it, surely that was a lot more exciting than taking care of our plants."

Roseluck's eyes widened and she looked at her friend, beginning to shake her head.

"I never said...!"

"Rose," Lily interrupted calmly but firmly, "we've known you since we were fillies, and we knew you were getting stuck in Ponyville. Why do you think we suggested going on vacation on your own so many times?"

"It's quite understandable that you mortify yourself for the stupidity you did."

As Lily punched her friend in the side, Roseluck looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean with that?"

"Do I really have to explain it to you?" Daisy said, still massaging the area hit by Lily. "You had one opportunity for adventure after another within reach of your hoof, and you let it go."

Roseluck growled at that memory, looking away from her.

"I couldn't leave you here, besides, I doubt he would have left me…maybe…"

Lily was about to say something, but her eyes drifted behind her friend, towards the entrance to the ceremony and dining room they were in, narrowing her eyes to get a better look.

"Just to see if I remember correctly, you said the Doctor was an earth pony?"

"Yes, but I don't know what that means now..."

"And he had a green tie, right?" Daisy continued, also looking in the same direction.

"Yeah, but seriously, I don't know why you guys are telling me this now."

"Because a stud like that has been watching us for a while, and if he is who I think he is, you can ask him yourself and see if he will let you travel with him or not" Daisy commented with a shrug and a smile.

Roseluck blinked and turned her head. Sure enough, at the door was the Doctor, who was staring at her, smiling and greeting her before turning and leaving. Immediately after, and after looking at her friends, she went after him, following him through the corridors to the outside, already illuminated by moonlight, seeing how he approached the TARDIS, in the same place she remembered. Rose started running with all her might, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

"DOCTOR!"

The Doctor stopped by his TARDIS and turned around, waiting for the mare. Roseluck arrived at last, panting a bit before speaking.

"You… you're back…" she said hesitantly, as if turning around she would disappear.

"That's right, I wanted to see if you won the first prize" said the Doctor with a smile. "Unfortunately it didn't, but hey, second place is still very good."

Roseluck looked at the Doctor for a few seconds before a small laugh escaped her mouth.

"Yes, you're right" her smile was soon replaced by a frown. "Are there more Symbiotes?"

"No," the Doctor said quickly, a somber tone to his voice. "No Symbiote in sight."

Roseluck nodded, thinking to herself before speaking.

"Why did you come back? I know you said it was to see if I win, but... why?"

The Doctor weighed his response for almost a minute before smiling and tapping the TARDIS.

"I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to come with me, I didn't last time."

Roseluck's eyes widened, her mouth opening and trying to say anything, but to no avail.

"Wh-what?" was the only thing she managed to say after almost two minutes, making the Doctor laugh.

"You're smart, Roseluck, brave, and what else? Oh yes, you saved my life, that's reason enough to invite you on a little trip."

"Where?" Roseluck asked with wide eyes.

"Anywhere in space, the TARDIS can go to any corner of the universe."

Roseluck was speechless, unable to say anything, but she didn't have to either, as Daisy's voice did it for her.

"Stop thinking about it so much and go with him!"

Roseluck blinked and turned her head to see her friends approaching her, the trophy placed carefully on Lily's back, who she maneuvered not to drop.

"But... I can't just leave you here..."

"Of course you can" Lily said with a smile. "You deserve it, not only for saving us, but also because you need to escape the routine of Ponyville, and urgently."

"Just make sure you bring us a souvenir."

Roseluck looked from her friends to the Doctor, her heart had already decided days ago, but her mind still resisted.

"I can't leave all the work to you for Celestia knows how long."

"If it helps you decide" interrupted the Doctor, "the TARDIS also travels through time" that made Roseluck and her friends look at the stallion with wide eyes. "You can be gone for months and when you come back only a day will have passed."

Roseluck was silent, then looking at her friends, who after recovering from their initial surprise, nodded in her direction.

"Go ahead" Daisy said with a huge smile.

"We'll take care of everything until you get back."

Roseluck was silent a bit longer before walking over to her friends and giving them a big group hug.

"Thank you" she whispered. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

Parting from them, she approached the Doctor, who was waiting patiently, and gave him a huge smile.

"Anywhere?"

"Anywhere in space and time."

With a shared smile, and after saying goodbye to her friends one last time, Roseluck entered the TARDIS. A few minutes later, a whisper filled the silent street and the blue telephone box began to disappear, leaving Lily and Daisy alone, who looked at each other with a smile before turning to go back to the hotel. They didn't know when they would see their friend again, but they did know that she deserved that trip.