“What do you mean mass deaths? CHX is nonlethal to ponies,” Flame asked incredulously as he opened the door to the conference room.
“I don't know how, but ponies are dying in the streets, and there is no end in sight.” The two stepped up to their respective chairs and eagerly awaited Celestia's entrance. She had called a meeting with everypony involved with the creation and distribution of the poison.
The mild chatter of the room ceased as Celestia solemnly took her seat at the head of the table. “I assume you all know why I have called you to this meeting.” The silence affirmed her question. “This Changeling massacre is not what I intended.
You chose to kill off the entire race of Changelings on the completely insane premise that I disliked them.”
“But your highness-”
“I am not finished. This inept, racist-driven action will not be tolerated in my kingdom!” Celestia declared vehemently. “Your rash decision to kill the refugees that crossed our border several decades ago to seek refuge from their own civil war was disgustingly vile. You will all be tried for not only treason, but also crime against pony kind!” Celestia paused for a moment to collect herself, anger is never the way to conduct matters of business. She knew that, but she also knew that there were problems on the scale of pandemic that needed to be solved. “Gentlecolts,” she began again in a softer yet still stern voice.
“We have a global issue on our hooves, and it is up to us to stop it. Fault is not an issue in this discussion. Everypony here will work to their utmost to ensure the safe future of our nation, and those around us.”
It took several minutes before one of the stallions worked up the nerve to speak. “What do you propose we do?” he asked, breaking the heavy guilt-laced silence. “CHX is, to my knowledge, the most potent chemical we have access to. There is no cure.”
“You added the most potent chemical in the arsenal to the drinking water with no known cure?” Celestia asked with a undertone of burning anger in her words.
“We have the top chemical engineers working on reversing the side effects, but it may take a while to complete and begin mass producing.”
“Every minute we spend is completely unacceptable. You will fix this mess, or you will be found guilty of crimes of unimaginable consequences. Meeting adjourned.”
“Doctor!” Flame shouted as he raced into the laboratory. “How soon until the cure is ready?”
The pony who stood with a test tube levitating before him raised his eyebrow at his frantic visitor. “I still don't understand it. First you want to make a poison to kill the changelings, and now you want to save them? You are more moody than a-”
“Look, you disgusting piece of filth!” Flame said through clenched teeth. “If I don't get this whole problem fixed, I am going to personally see to it that you go down with me, you got that?”
“You have quite the mouth my friend, but you forget one thing, I am a dead pony. No one knows I exist, and even if they did, it would not matter, I have lived a full life. I am not afraid to die.”
“You will get me this cure, or else.”
“What is it worth to you?” the doctor asked. “You will have to do better than idle death threats to get what you want from me.”
“I will get you on the front cover of EQS Magazine as the pony who saved the world.”
“You can't be serious,” the doctor said, nearly dropping his test tube. “Only the top scientists ever even dream of getting into Equestrian Science, let alone on the front cover.”
“I have connections, but I probably won't need them if you can develop a cure.”
“But you can't cure CHX, it is designed from the ground up to be incurable.”
“Was there a back door? A kill switch maybe? Anything that could destroy the virus?”
“There is no way to stop it.” the doctor said as he stepped over to the floor-to-ceiling board displaying the chemical composition of the solution, which had become quite problematic.
“And how does this toxin work? Doesn't it take over the mind of its host and shut it down?”
“To an extent, but it actually uses the brain to stop the beating of the heart,” the doctor said nonchalantly. “It was supposed to bind to a receptor that exists in all changelings but is never present in Equestrians. It's something I like to call the hive gene. Its what makes Changelings crave love.
“So why are innocent ponies dropping left and right?”
“Probably because Changelings are now assimilated into our society. It has spread the gene throughout the society, and therefore the toxin affects more than just the Changelings.”
“What can we do to change that?” Flame asked. “We need to stop the toxin.”
“That is no easy feat,” the doctor said as he stepped over to the test tubes that were housed in an isolated chamber.
“The toxin will be removed from the water supply in time and be diluted until it is no longer lethal, but there is nothing I can do.”
“You can't make a-”
“Let me make myself clear,” the doctor said as he turned back to Flame. “The toxin is permanent. Nothing can be done to stop it.”
“But... there must be something you ca-”
“Nothing!” the doctor shouted. “You can't fix what you have done!”
“So... it's come to this,” Flame said as he drew a revolver from his pocket.
“Now wait j- just a minute,” the doctor stammered as he stepped backward. “T-this isn't necessary.”
“Oh, but it is.” Flame placed a single round into the chamber of the pistol and spun the cylinder. “You see, one of us has to die, and the other might actually have a chance to live.” He placed the barrel to his head and pulled the trigger. The hammer struck, but the chamber was not loaded. A loud click sounded through the room.
“I don't see how this will solve any of our problems,” the doctor said. “Give it time, and this nightmare will go away.”
“How long will it take for the toxin to dissipate?” Flame asked as he aimed the revolver at his temple once more.
“It will probably be a month or two if the application stops today.”
“That's too long.” Flame pulled the trigger. The hammer, once more, struck metal rather than the bullet.
“Look, this isn't necessary,” the doctor said. “Killing yourself won't help anypony.”
“It won't hurt anypony either.” He pulled the trigger again. The hammer struck metal.
“Don't do this, Flame.” The doctor walked over to his chalk board and quickly began jotting down an indistinguishable scrawl. “I can try and find a resolution to this mess, killing yourself will only make the issue worse.”
“I am the issue. If I die, then the public can move on to finding a cure without an enemy in sight. They will be unified again.” He pulled the trigger. The hammer struck the primer. A loud explosion filled the room as the bullet took the life of the pony who had taken the life of many.
“Flame!” the doctor shouted as he raced to the side of the crumpled body of the stallion. He checked his pulse. Flame was dead. The doctor took a deep breath. “If there is an enemy, the public can be united.” He looked back at the board that held the chemical diagram of the toxin. “And if the real enemy is dead, then a new one will take his place.”
The doctor rose to his hooves and walked over to the board. With a piece of red chalk he wrote in big red letters across the board, “I dare you to find me.”
