Ponid-19

The fate of the other members of Starlight’s group was decided via a swift dose of palace guard violence. They were each beaten badly and hurled into a dungeon and told to rot. Little Kite String took everything the worst, and her mother desperately tried to dress and clean her wounds. She cared nothing for her own painful cuts and bruises, but only for her beloved daughter. Smooth helped as best as he could, remembering his old war training for helping to heal the sick and injured. But alas, they were not doctors or medical staff, and they could only manage to stop the bleeding. The pain wore on, and Rose couldn’t bear to hear her daughter’s moans and cries of agony.

“Don’t worry, my darling filly, I’m here,” she said in a voice that attempted to be as reassuring as possible, but in the end, broke down and shook with sadness.

“I know…Mommy,” Kite said, “but…everything hurts!”

“I know, I know, sh…” Rose said as she gathered her daughter up into her embrace and cradled her close, “it’s all gonna be okay.”

“Like hell it’s gonna be okay!” Smooth suddenly exclaimed.

“Smooth Boulder!” Rose said sharply, “I would ask that you refrain from using such language around my daughter!”

Smooth sighed. “I’m sorry, Rose. Old war habits, you know. But all the same, I fail to see how we’re gonna find a way out of this. Celestia was obviously the one who invented the virus, so there’s gonna be no help from her, and we can’t get any help from anypony else! I mean…we’re as doomed as my platoon was when we got caught in that forest during the Battle of Everfree!”

“You fought in that battle?” Rose asked, remembering when she was a filly and the textbooks hailed the heroism and bravery of those who served.

Smooth nodded. “Yep, I sure did. It was the most terrifying experience of my life, but I somehow made it out alive. I don’t know how…but I did.”

Rose smiled. It was good to know that he’d endured something so horrifically tragic and bloody, yet still come out in one piece. He seemed to be something of a stallion cockroach, surviving sickness and death at every turn and continuing to live life on his terms. She couldn’t help but admire that, and she suddenly saw him as a fatherly figure. Her own had passed away years before, and she’d been looking for somepony else to look up to. She felt that she’d found him…if only he could control his mouth around Kite String.

She managed to trot to him and embrace him. He was a bit taken aback by the gesture, but realized how warm it felt to have her fur nestled against his. He remembered his daughter in Manehattan, his grandchildren, and how much he missed them. He had been having such an adventure with Starlight and the others, that he’d completely forgotten of the request he’d made back when he first met them. But now, having somepony his daughter’s age embrace him brought back all of the wonderful memories of his dearly departed wife, and his family. The old timer shed a tear or two as he gratefully returned the gesture and then pulled back.

“What was that for?” He asked with a playful gleam in his eye.

“Just for being you,” Rose said, “and for helping to keep Kite String alive. You know…she could use somepony special in her life. She doesn’t have any grandparents, and I believe you would qualify as the perfect candidate…IF you can keep your language clean.”

Smooth smiled. “Well, I’ll do my best.”

“Alright,” Rose said, “now that that’s settled, we need to find a way out of here!”

“But Mommy,” Kite managed to squeak, “there is no way out, is there? I mean, there are stones on all the walls around us, and a set of iron bars in front. How are we gonna be able to escape?”

“I believe I can help you with that,” a kind voice responded.

Everypony gasped and turned to look towards the source of the voice. They saw that a stone in the wall between the cells had been removed and a very familiar blue face was looking back at them. The mare was smiling, even though her eyes were dull and she seemed like she hadn’t eaten or been offered water in days. Her face was coated with cuts and dried blood, and her mane had stopped flowing and lay limp beside her eyes. It was Princess Luna…or what was left of Princess Luna.

Rose cautiously stepped over to her, knowing of the terrible deeds her sister had performed. Even now, she needed to be wary around anypony who wore a crown. Even if Luna looked like this, it could just be an act and she could be spying on them to keep them there. But, there was something authentic about Luna’s appearance that grabbed Rose. She genuinely looked hungry and thirsty. In fact, she had lost weight, and her skin was dangerously close to thinning all the way to the bone. Luna looked up at Rose and offered another smile, trying to show that she meant no harm.

“You…you’re Princess Luna!” Rose gasped.

“In the flesh,” Luna said weakly, “but forgive me, I must look an awful sight.”

“No, no,” Rose responded, “it’s alright. Tell me…did Celestia throw you in here?”

Luna nodded. “When I found out the virus’s true purpose, and the concoction of a plan that my sister was coming up with, I rose up against her once again. But this time, she did not hold the Elements of Harmony, so she could not banish me to the moon. So, she tossed me in here to be forgotten. Apparently, she’s been telling everypony that I’ve caught a terrible case of PONID-19.”

“Please, Your Majesty,” Smooth Boulder spoke up, “what is the virus’s true purpose?”

“Power and control, Smooth Boulder,” Luna managed to get out.

“How…how do you know my name?”

“I’m a co-ruler of Equestria, dear one” Luna said kindly, “I know everypony by name, so that I may care for everypony’s dreams as they are needed. I also know that Kite String is your daughter, Rose Garden.”

“We are in desperate need of your help, Princess,” Rose said, “we have to warn everypony, and rescue Starlight Glimmer!”

Luna’s eyes went wide. She had a very soft spot in her heart for Starlight, because the light purple Unicorn had helped her when she was captured by the Changelings. She also knew of Starlight’s great love and affection for her friends, and she considered the former dictator to be a close personal companion. What she didn’t know was that her sister and Trixie had purposefully infected her and now she lay on a metal table, solidifying into a statue.

“We will, my little pony,” Luna said as she calmed her nerves.

“But how?!”

“We’ll do what anypony else in this situation would do: plan and execute an escape.”