Princess Celestia vs. the Shingles Virus

Princess Celestia may be a Princess and an Alicorn, but she was just as faliable and vulnerable as any other pony in Equestria. She was frequently subjected to being defeated quite easily at the behest of Queen Chrysalis and thrown into the basement of Equestria like a piece of trash by Tirek But, out of all the times she had been put through the wringer the most, it was during a brief period of her life that came to define Celestia's tolerance for her own health.

In fact, it seemed like came without warning for Princess Celestia. She had faced many enemies in the past that had intentions of harming Equestria's way of life. But, this enemy that she would face now was not an enemy that walked on four or two legs; it didn't have wings and could fly; it didn't even have magic and it didn't have a horn. It wasn't even a pony, but it was an enemy that lived deep inside of her since she was a filly.
…

It all started one morning after the Crystalling of Flurry Heart, daughter of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Celestia rose from her slumber and stood out over a balcony facing out to the east of Canterlot Castle, not far from the Crystal Empire. In the distance, she could also see her sister, Princess Luna, completing her duties as Princess of the Night. Taking in a deep breath, Celestia prepared to activate her magic to raise the sun. Once her magic was activated, the sun rose like a giant ball of fire as it rose over the eastern horizon. Then, all of a sudden, she felt the first sign of a sharp pain.

"Ow!" she winced, rubbing her back with the back of her right wing. "What is…? Ugh! What is going on with me?"

But, Celestia couldn't be concerned with her current crisis for very long. As a matter of fact, she had far more important matters to attend to, such as paying a visit to her former student and fellow princess, Twilight Sparkle with Luna.

"Good morning, big sister," said Luna, exhausted from her night duties, but aware enough to see that Celestia was caressing her back with her wing. "Sister, is something wrong? You look pained."

"It's nothing, really," replied Celestia, hastily trying to not let the pain of her back cause any concerns. "Nothing more. Just a pain in my back. Let's get over to Twilight's, we don't want to keep her waiting."

Luna raised a questionable eyebrow at her older sister's strange behavior. Even during the short journey to Twilight's castle, the Princess of the Night continued to question why Celestia would act this way? There was no doubt in her mind that Celestia was hiding her pain, which was beginning to prove unsuccessful as the pain grew bigger and bigger and bigger.

"Sister, I know something is troubling you," cautioned Luna. "We should have Dr. Mohs look at your back."

"It's nothing, Luna!" cried Celestia, sharply turning around to face Luna crossly. "Please stop worrying about me, understand? It's just a ordinary back problem and nothing that will give me greater consequences."

"I'm afraid that it's more than a back problem," whispered Luna, who had a sharp premonition of her sister's condition. "Why are you being so stubborn? Are you trying to relive the days of when you had the Horsey Hives?"

As she thought of these words, Luna began to think back to when she and Celestia were fillies and how Celestia was forced to spend time in the hospital while diagnosed with Horsey Hives.

"Doctor," asked a younger Luna. "What is wrong with my big sister? What are those spots?"

"I'm afraid your sister has what we shall cautiously describe as Horsey Hives," he answered. "It's a virus that activates from deep within your skin and causes you to develop spots that are painful and itchy."

The younger Luna then looked back to see her older sister lying in bed, her body covered in painful spots.

"Is she going to be okay?" Luna asked worriedly and the doctor turned to face her.

"She will be fine, Princess Luna," comforted the doctor. "But, there is a slight chance that she might get a reoccurrence called Shingles or as its medically named called Herpes Zoster, which is a virus that is worse than ."

The young Luna let out a gulp, nervously dreading the thought of something far more worse for Celestia.

…

When they arrived at Twilight's castle, Celestia's stubbornness continued to increase and the sharp pain was growing more problematic and Luna didn't want to suffer her sister's angry wrath once again. Still, Celestia remained stubborn and continued to cloak her condition, not wanting to let her situation get the better of her.

"I'm so glad you two could come," said Twilight as they began their visit.

"Of course," replied Luna, trying to put on a smile. "We so rarely get a chance to relax and just visit."

"There is usually some crisis we have to deal with," Celestia said proudly. "Somepony always needs our help. But today…"

However, before Celestia could finish her sentence, her back's pain shot up and she couldn't hold it in any longer. A sharp scream came out of her mouth causing both Twilight and Luna to be concerned greatly.

"Celestia, what's wrong?!" cried Twilight leaping over to her mentor's side.

"It's my back," cried Celestia, painfully falling to her front knees. "Something's wrong with my back!"

Twilight carefully looked at Celestia's back and she gasped when she saw a orangish red rash on the white alicorn's back. The blisters in the area were large and white. Seeing this made Twilight feel very uncomfortable.

"Princess Celestia," cried Twilight, mortified at what she saw. "What happened to you?"

"I don't know, Twilight!" sobbed Celestia, crying tears of pain. "But, it hurts! It hurts!"

At that moment, Luna realized that something needed to be done and fast. Trusting her instincts, she motioned for several of Celestia's guards to come forward.

"Sister," Luna said, firmly but calmly. "We are going to have Dr. Mohs take a look at your back. You need to understand that this is something that cannot be overlooked and I am saying that because I love you!"

But, Celestia was too emotional to speak and soon, they left Twilight's castle and hastily made their way back to Canterlot with Twilight not far behind. Once they returned, Celestia was immediately brought into an examination room and carefully put down on a table while lying on her stomach. Suddenly, no sooner did they arrive did a caramel colored pony come in wearing a white lab coat.

"Thanks heavens you're here, Dr. Mohs," cried Luna. "It's something that I have feared for some time."

The young dermatologist took a dermescope out of his coat pocket and immediately took a good look at Celestia's back.

"Mother of Equestria," he gasped before turning over to the panicked Princess Luna. "The Shingles Virus. Princess Celestia has the Shingles Virus."

Both Luna and Twilight gasped for they now knew that the Princess of the Day now had a painful virus in her system…