Pandemic

Twilight hobbled into town slowly, wincing at the pain of her dangling ankle with each bumpy step she took. It was very dark outside and she estimated it was close to 1 am. Suddenly she tripped over her own feet and fell face first into the dirt. She turned her head up and yelled in pain.

“HELP!” she yelled and winced as her broken ribs rubbed against her lungs. She couldn’t focus. She couldn’t teleport or heal her ankle. She was completely helpless. Just like everyone else who found themselves trapped in this tragedy. She had no control which made her even more frustrated than ever. She only hoped the map would turn out to lead them to the cure for the disease.

First she had to get back to the library though. Injury or not the world was ending and she might be the only one who could stop it. She waited for a moment to see if anyone had heard her. It became apparent that no one was anywhere near earshot so she was going to have to get back to the library herself. She heaved herself back to her good legs and carefully inched her way towards the towering tree in the center of town.

It took her nearly an hour to reach the front doors and her condition was rapidly deteriorating. She had probably punctured a lung when she had fallen and it was critical that she had medical attention. She head-butted the double doors open, walked three paces in, and fell to the ground unconscious.

Rainbow Dash had visited Fluttershy as soon as she was back in town. Her yellow friend hadn’t improved and wasn’t conscious often anymore. Her fur was beginning to lose its luster and her hair was matted with sweat and was torn in places. Rainbow Dash had arrived in the middle of one of her seizures that had become the norm. Two doctors tried their best to keep her from hurting herself, but she always ended up with more bruises, cuts, and scrapes. Dash could barely watch as doctors tried to keep the yellow pony from falling off her bed as her body spasmed.  They were unsuccessful and there was a very sudden, very sickening, thud as she fell to the floor. It sounded as if she had sustained a broken wing and possibly dislocated something. She kept flailing on the floor while doctors crowded around and tried to help. As soon as she was out of her seizure the doctors reattached her I.V. tube and administered what care they could to her bruises and broken bones. Her body was even more fragile now that it was riddled with sickness and setting bones often caused worse breaks so most of the time all they could do was put the bone in a splint and hope for the best.

Dash was shocked from the sight of her friend but she was so desensitized that she didn’t leave. She simply stood there until the doctors had finished their work and left. It was then that she approached her bed and looked at the pitiful bundle lying on the bed. She had lost weight and was starting to look emaciated. The only way she was able to get nourishment was through her I.V. which left her looking as scrawny as she did. At this point the few doctors that were left had found some medicines that would help with symptoms of victims. The death rate was slowing, but still not stopping, on its exponential growth. Hopefully Fluttershy would not be the next addition to that number.

Fluttershy woke long enough to see a rainbow colored mane disappear through the door and then she fell back into the murkiness of unconsciousness from total exhaustion.

Dash left the clinic and headed to Fluttershy’s house to make sure that spike was indeed doing his job.

Dash woke with a start. Another nightmare from what she had found in the house she supposed. She had buried the cold body of a baby dragon beside the structure along with the rest of the animals which had been found inside the putrid smelling cottage. She had ordered hazmat to come to the house and bleach everything that wasn’t completely covered in vomit and blood and burn the rest. She left with the same emotionless look that she had worn for days. She had returned to the library to sleep so that she could be easily reached in case of an emergency.

Suddenly a thump came from downstairs.

Rainbow dash jumped out of bed and flew over to try to find the cause of the sound. She found Twilight lying in a heap with a twisted ankle. She suddenly coughed and produced a sizeable bloodstain on the carpet beneath her from the act.

Dash flew down immediately to her aid picking her up and trying not to hurt her anymore as she brought her to the infirmary. She had become unconscious so Dash had to fly slowly to keep her balanced over her back. As Dash flew the front door open Twilight coughed up more blood onto Dash’s shoulder. She ignored the wet oozing feeling and the warm scent as she raced to find a doctor on night duty.

She flung open door after door waking some of the sleeping patients and causing cries of disapproval and question. Finally she found a doctor taking the pulse of a light blue pony with red hair and glazed over eyes.

“Doctor! I have a patient who needs help NOW!” Dash yelled in a commanding tone at the doctor. The stallion took a slight step back in surprise as Dash shoved the dead pony off the bed and carefully laid Twilight in its place. The pony’s head turned sideways when it hit the floor and started to spill blood into a pool near dash’s hooves. The blood was speckled with virus pods and was runny like soapy water. Dash angrily bucked the carcass out the door of the room where it hit a wall and fell back to the floor where it started to create another pool.

The doctor’s mouth dropped for a moment at the action but he quickly forgot about it as Twilight coughed yet again and shot blood flying into the air. It splattered on Dash’s face and on the Doctors coat as it flew and covered a small area around them. The doctor quickly went to her assistance, clearing her throat of any debris as he assessed the damage. He ran over to a box on the side of the room, hit a button, and yelled into the speaker for assistance. He went back to Twilight and looked at Dash.

“You’re going to have to help me until a nurse arrives.” He said with a very serious look and tone. Dash nodded in response too out of it to even speak. The Doctor quickly gave her instructions on helping him prep Twilight for immediate surgery.  Her fur was shaved around the rib that had punctured her lung, the area was sterilized, and a local anesthetic was applied. The Doctor made a vertical incision on her chest and had Dash hold the cut open as he looked inside. He found the offending rib, Pulled it into place, patched the lung, stitched an artery back together, and then sewed the incision back, all with in fifteen minutes. The entire time Dash had a front row seat to watch as her friend’s living organs went on display.

“Thank you. She is no longer in critical condition although she needs to be held here at least until morning. You may leave now as the nurse can handle clean up and care for your friend.” Before the doctor even finished the sentence Dash was out flying. She felt nauseated as all the events came back to culminate once more and her stress level exploded into a fiery ball of death and destruction. No one was built to handle this amount of stress, and Dash was no exception. She flew higher and higher until the air was thin enough to make her feel light headed and weak. It was cold at this altitude and the town was a tiny speck on a large green map beneath her.

She closed her eyes and folded her wings. She had about four minutes until she had to open her wings and pull up even though she wanted to just leave them closed and implode herself upon the ground. Another casualty among thousands would be all that she was. She knew that she had to keep living to find the cure though and to help her remaining friends. Suicide was not the answer. Yet.

She plummeted toward earth and opened her wings right before she landed on the concrete sidewalk. She glided at an amazing speed through the town and over to a field where she landed. She hadn’t noticed the tears streaking down her face or the mucus dribbling from her nose. She was sobbing, a completely foreign feeling to the loyal Pegasus. She laid in the field and cried for hours and did not stop until the sun was up and making its way over the tops of trees in the forest beside her. She got up and wiped her nose on her hoof. Her eyes were redder than usual and her fur was matted and crusted a little from the amount of tears that had dried on it. Twilight would be waking up soon, and she had the key to the map.

Rainbow Dash raced off to the infirmary.