The Outlander's Cure

The past few months had gone by without trouble. Ponies rebuilt, life continued, and friendship's flourished. The evil wrought upon the town of Ponyville didn't last, nothing ever did. For that very reason a certain stallion was not surprised to find that neither did the peace.

"Dash, I don't know what to do. Every day goes by, and her well being slips a little more. I can't lose her."

"I know Breach, and I've got Twilight searching through every books she's got. The fact of the matter is we don't know anything about outlanders' phisology. I was thinking though, what about heading to Hayven and asking if anypony there knows something about this."

Breach realized she was onto something. Of course somepony in Hayven had to know. The town was filled with outlander refugees under the eye of Baener, and if anypony knew what was wrong with Bow. Just then somepony was rushed through the hospital lounge that they were in.

"We need to get this pony and intraveinous drip stat!" "Nurse, get neg. o, we may need it!"

"What was that all about Dash?"

"I don't have a clue Breach, but I believe that was Bon Bon...."

Just then Lyra came running into the lounge looking disheveled and crying.

"Lyra!" shouted Rainbow Dash, "What's going on, what happened to Bon Bon?"

"I don't know! One minute we were having shakes, then suddenly her nose started bleeding, the it started coming from her eyes and ears, and she just collapsed!"

While Rainbow Dash comforted the poor pony, Breach wracked his memory. He knew he had heard of this before. It took him a full minute before he realized why he recognized the ailment.

"Rainbow! I need you to go to my house and pack me a light saddle bag with basic neccesities!" the stallion shouted before taking off out the hospital door.

"Alright; Lyra, Bon Bon will be fine, I promise. I gotta go help Breach, he seems to know what's going on."

As Rainbow Dash sped out the door she nearly bowled over Ms. Cherilee as she was bringing in Dimond Tiara and Sweetie Belle, both suffering from the same symptoms of Bon Bon. 'I hopw you know how to fix this Breach' she thought as she sped to his house.

This wasn't good and he knew it. Bow had told Breach about a terrible disease that eventually proved fatal if not treated. He was rushing to Hayven when he saw Baener running straight for him.

"Breach! We've got a major problem!" "Same here, we just had a pony brought in that looks like she's suffering from.."

"Hiderot?" Baener questioned. When breach nodded, it confirmed Baener's worst fears. "Do you know how to cure it Baener?" "Yes, but that may prove to be a problem. The cure is a flower found only in the outlands. I was just getting ready to head out." "By yourself? Like Tartarus, I'm coming with you, besides, I have a more personal stake in this!"

"Bow can't have gotten it, she's been innoculated!" Baener claimed with shock. All outlanders were innoculated right before graduation. "No, she doesn't have it, but her health is failing; its got to be some outlander disease. Now c'mon, we're going to my house!"

Dash had packed Breach's saddle bag, but stopped by Twilight's first to grab her own. She had a good bet on where Breach was planning on going, and she would not let him go alone. Warning Twi and Scoots, aswell as wishing them farewell, she had made a beeline here and now she waited. She was bored too, and was about to lay down when she noticed two ponies running straight toward the house. Getting her saddle bags on, she grabbed Breach's and met him halfway.

"No way Dash, this is too dangerous." "I don't give a buck, I'm not letting you go alone!" "Baener's going with me..." "Uh, right, um, Well I'm not going to stay here while my friends are in danger!" Smirking slightly, Breach knew he wouldn't be the one who won this arguement. "Fine, but you do what I say when I say it. There are danger's in the outlands like you wouldn't believe." "Got it Breach, now let's go!"

With that the three ponies took off in the direction of the Equestrian shore. Little did they know they were being followed.

'Going to talk to the Wonderbolts?' Scootaloo wondered. That makes no sense, Rainbow dash wasn't even excited when she told her. Something was up, and she was going to find out what. Packing her saddlebags, and grabbing her medication for her leg, Scootaloo flew out the window after older sister. 'She was always there for me, so I'll always be there for her!'

It had taken a few days to get to the coast, then a week to get across the sea tot he outlands. Standing on the beach Rainbow Dash stared into a thick forest with awe, "I thought the outlands were, like, I dunno, desert wastes or something!?"

The reply came from Baener, "Most 'outlanders' to this place do. Food grows in plenty, and the weather is always good. Makes me wonder how we became such a bloodthirsty race of ponies.

"So Baener, what's the plan. Obviously we need to find this flower but where do we go." inquired Breach.

"We go to the only other goodly outlander I know, my grandmother.... and yes I do have a grandmother so stop snickering Dash."

"Ok, but praytell how we go about getting there, Dash and I aren't exactly the most dappled of flanks. That and I just don't look like an outlander in general, you're all average size with a slight build. I'm horsezilla who looks like he pull 20 plows at a time everyday."

"Well then it's obvious, I'm and average sized mare with a slight build. We just disguise me as an outlander and you can be a prisoner, Breach."

"Actually Dash, that won't work. there are no outlander pegasi, and barely any outlander unicorns. We'll just have to be stealthy."

The three ponies spent the next 4 days creeping through the woods, dodging outlander patrols, which grew increasingly frequent after they'd found the Equestrian ship on the shore. As it became to risky to stay close to the paths, they eventually strayed into the woods.

"Great, now instead of dodging patrols, we're dodging wolves and bears while we traips through the woods!" moaned Rainbow Dash, who couldn't even remember her last nap.

"Well if you want, just fly there and hope nopony notices you..."

"Or you could shadow step and get this over with Breach. Come to think of it, you haven't used anything other than unicorn magic since the day you saved me at the train station. Why is that?"

The stallion sighed a little, then relayed what he knew. "While I was in Canterlot, Luna and Celestia did some digging into the possibility of me becoming a pony permanantly. Apparantly the less I use my natural powers the more likely my daemonic side is to just fall away from me."

"But you used those portals to save me, and transformed to save Bow?" "And now it will take that much longer for me. But I don't regret what I did." "Wow, and here I thought I was loyalty" Dash said in shock that he postponed the thing she thought he wanted most just to save her. 'I guess there's more to him than what I thought.'

"Well you two be nostalgic all you want, but make camp, I need to head into this town up ahead to speak to my grandmother." stated Baener. With that the stallion walked away.

'Now what are they doing in the outlands?' wondered Scootaloo. She'd followed the ponies to the shore, then stowed away under deck. When they finally hit the outlands shore, she waited about 15 minutes before she finally trotted out and took off after them. 'This is obviously important, but why not tell anypony. Somepony could have helped right?'

Popping a pill for the pain in her leg, the filly continued after her sister, Breach, and Baener.

Dodging the patrols wasn't too hard for her, and she always had extra warning because the three ponies ahead of her would duck down. Scootaloo didn't know how long she'd been following them before Baener eventually left on his own and Breach and Dash made camp.

Setting up a lean to on a thick tree limb, Scoots settled down and thought back to what had led up to her being here.

'Wow! So that's an outlander?!' It had been her first time seeing Bow. She thought the dapple on her flank was actually really pretty, and had even sometimes imagined having a dapple herself. Then she'd seen Breach, the largest stallion she had ever seen. Over the time Bow had spent hanging out with Dash after Breach had left were enchanting as well. It was one thing to here about some old pony's tale, but to see a mare who'd actually met her 'Prince Charming' and to hear about the sacrifice's they's made to keep eachother safe had struck a chord in the filli's heart. Scootaloo would never let on to this, but she thought Bow was as cool as Dash.

'And then when I didn't listen to Dash and saved her life. That was definitely awesome!' the filly remembered with detail what she had done to save Breach and Bow. The memory also brought a twinge to her leg. She looked back at the now useless limb. 'Dash spent so much time by my side after I got hurt, teaching me how to limp right, and always encouraging me. Then Bow having Breach use that deep magic to repair what he could.' She didn't have the limp for too long though. sure she had it in the med bay with Fluttershy, and later when they were first captured. And sure she had it when she went to save Dash, and boy did it hurt, but she didn't care anymore. There was no more 'How could I ever be like Dash if my leg is messed?' going through her head. It was just the loyalty and friendship instilled into her by two amazing mares.

'Then I saved Dash and the fight began.' Tartarus bent on not allowing anypony to get through to her friends, Scootaloo gave up that final ability to use her left hind leg in any way. She could still remember the pain she was in, but how little it mattered if her friends we're harmed. Even when the defense had failed, and everypony had the option to leave her for their own lives they refused. Scootaloo looked back at that mental image of herself, a tired pitiful looking filly, leg drawn up under her, face screwed up in pain. Ready to give her own young life, just to allow her friends to survive. That was when the spark in her heart took flame and she realized that there was nowhere else in Equestria she would have rather been. And then they stood against the impossible for her. These ponies, who she'd done so much for without asking for anything in return stepped inbetween her and certain death.

'And it still took me until Celestia pointed it out to fully understand.' Scootaloo chuckled at herself. The sacrifices she had made, without hesitation or fear for herself, were part of something bigger than helping other. It was knowing that they'd always be there to help you too.

Tears beading in her eyes, Scoots looked once at her cutie mark. The outline of a pony, fore hooves stretched to the sides to block some threat, mixed with two curving lines that caused it to resemble a shield, blocking her friends against danger. With that thought in her head, she curled up and got to sleep.

Queen Luna and Queen Celestia were distraught, Luna for one couldn't think of anyhting worse than when she'd lost Celestia, even though it was temporary. They knew Ponyville was suffering from a plague, but had no way of fixing it. For all their power, and despite the fact that they now could aid their subjects, there was nothing for them to do.

"Doctor, we've got another one." the nurse yelled as Ms. Cheerilee was brought in on a stretcher. "I'll be right there, just give me a minute." The Doc. would never admit this, but while doing his best to keep Bow healthy and comfortable, he was also getting advice on how to take care of the patients from her. "So Bow, how are we doing today?" Bow was looking frail, but had a gleam of determination in her eyes. "I'm doing well, I really wish you would spend less time hovering over me and work on the other patients." "I already told you, we can't do anything but stabilize them and give them extra blood when they need it. Might I ask you though, why have you not gotten sick? Almost everypony here is sick except for you." "Well you and the nurse aren't sick. But yes, you're right. The disease is called Hiderot. It's common place in the outlands. We get innoculated for it before our graduation. My best guess is somepony picked it up off of one of the outlanders." Bow explained 'And I'll bet that's why Breach hasn't been around.' she finished in her head.

"Well then, that's good to know, your health is already poor as you already know, and your filly or colt doesn't need any stress from diseases. We'll just work on a cure and then get everything back to normal." the Doc replied cheerily. He then coughed into his hoof, then quickly hid it. "Well I must get back to the other ponies, and just hit that button if you need help."

As the doctor left, Bow noticed that he had some blood on his hoof, 'Why must this happen to my friends. Breach, hurry please.' she thought the silent plea.

Back in the outlands forest, Dash woke up with her nose feeling damp. Lifting her head up and swiping her foreleg across her snout, she looked on in horror when she noticed that she had blood smeered across it and pouring out her nose. Quickly she hid this fact, flying to a nearby stream and washing up. 'Breach needs me, healthy and all that stuff. Side's I can't leave the stallion hangin'.'