Ponid-19

“They call it PONID-19, or, in street terms, The Crystal Virus,” Twilight explained as the train chugged along. She and Starlight were on their way to The Crystal Empire, specifically to see Flurry Heart, but in more general terms, to check up on their friends and ensure their safety. They each knew of the grave risk in going, but they also knew of their unwavering care for those whom they held the dearest. Since the Empire had closed its borders to both outward and inward traffic, they’d had to request special clearance from Cadance herself. Of course, it had been granted, and not only that, but she’d sent them a special letter thanking them for their trip.

“So…what exactly are the symptoms?” Starlight asked.

“First, it starts as your average cough and runny nose, followed by a terrible stomach pain. From what I’m told, it burns worse than any fire ever could. Endless vomiting accompanies that. Then, your immune system…” here, she stopped and gulped nervously, “…crystallizes itself, and you basically freeze to death from the inside out.”

Starlight broke out in a cold sweat. Twilight wanted to take her to see somepony who had this disease? Really? It seemed that her former mentor had taken on all the qualities of somepony who had gone completely mad. Either that, or Twilight’s intense love for Flurry outweighed all other logical decisions. Starlight silently deduced that it was the latter reason, and she shook her head.

“You really love Flurry, don’t you?”

Twilight nodded. “She’s like my very own daughter. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but sometimes, I act like she is mine when she visits.”

Starlight smiled. “I don’t think that’s so embarrassing. I mean, I think everypony who isn’t married wants to know what it would be like to have their own foal.”

“It’s not just that, Starlight,” Twilight said as tears played with her eyes, “I have such a deep bond with the filly. I’ve been there for every single important moment in her life. In a way, I am a second mother to her. That’s why I’m taking this so hard…because if she dies…I may not get another chance.”

Starlight saw the pained look in her friend’s gaze, and her heart ached for her. She realized that Twilight wasn’t just playing mother with Flurry. For her, this was reality, and it had slammed into her like the train that they rode in. It must have been truly terrifying for Twilight to read that Flurry not only had the disease, but had been the very first pony infected. If this was how Twilight was reacting, Starlight dreaded seeing how Shining Armor and Cadance were. This nightmarish situation must have been complete hell for them, and the fact that there was no cure for the disease probably made the situation even worse.

The train slowly chugged its way up to The Crystal Empire’s borders. Twilight and Starlight were the only two passengers left aboard, and the train had to stop and get inspected by guards and health officials. Two stallions in armor climbed onto Twilight and Starlight’s car and went about disinfecting things. They were followed by a female nurse, whose brown coat seemed to stand on end. They figured she must have been terribly busy, so they decided to do whatever she asked, no matter how insane it might be.

“Hello, Your Majesty, and Ms. Glimmer,” the nurse said, “I’m Healthy Heart, the head nurse at Empire General. I’ve been sent by Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor to welcome you and instruct you on just what to do and how to do it. I know this may seem awfully restrictive, and I do apologize, but it’s for the good of everypony.”

“Healthy Heart,” Starlight said, “you know, we’ve got a nurse named Red Heart back in Ponyville.”

Healthy smiled. “That’s my cousin. We both graduated from medical school together. I am pleased to hear that she’s doing well. Now, then, while in the Empire’s borders, we’re asking that everypony wear one of these.”

She produced a face mask perfectly formed to fit the visage of anypony. Before Twilight or Starlight could say anything, she slapped it on them and dragged them off the train. She led them to a white tent and lay them on tables before calling a doctor over for an examination. He did the typical doctor things, like listening to their hearts and taking their temperature, before asking them what their business was and how long they planned to stay.

“Well, our business is seeing my niece, Princess Flurry,” Twilight said, “and we’ll stay as long as we need to.”

“Sorry,” the doctor said, “our new federal regulations forbid the few visits that we have to last for longer than three days.”

“Um…I’m one of the rulers of Equestria,” Twilight pointed out, “so I think I’ll stay as long as is necessary.”

“We’re under strict orders from Princess Cadance,” the doctor rebutted, “NOPONY is allowed to break the rules, period. We’re enforcing them regularly, and we will do so to you as well.”

Twilight was shocked. Nopony had ever spoken to her like that before. Frankly, she found it rude and insulting, and she was definitely going to report this particular doctor to Cadance. She found it a slap in the face to all the regular pony medical officials that this stallion was even allowed to be licensed. He might have carried the cutie mark of a stethoscope, but that didn’t make him a likeable pony. In fact, she’d go so far as to say that he was one of the least personable ponies she’d ever met.

After being cleared into the Empire, they trotted along and noticed ponies waving at each other. Nothing was out of the ordinary about this, except for the fact that they never got more than six or seven hoofsteps from each other. The gaps between friends caused Twilight’s kind heart to twinge a bit, and she had to fight back tears. Nopony could properly show the typical facets of friendship, and all because of this ridiculous illness! Her hatred for the affliction grew, and soon, she found herself snorting into her mask.

“Uh…Twi?” Starlight asked, “you’re snorting.”

“Sorry,” Twilight said, “I’m just so frustrated by all this!”

“Yeah, me too. I just hope Flurry will be alright.”

Twilight’s look of agony was the only response Starlight needed as they trotted up to the castle. The guards at the door were very friendly, bowing to Twilight as they opened the large portals to let them inside. Once they got in, their mouths fell to the floor as they noticed just how many ponies were there. They all wore hazmat suits, large masks, and multiple layers of hoof gloves. Every time somepony touched something, somepony else swooped in and thoroughly cleaned it. To be more precise, the castle shone with just how utterly neat and tidy things were.

“Twilight!” A voice sang out from the top of the grand staircase.

“Cadance!” Twilight responded happily.

The two old friends trotted towards each other, and Twilight went for the customary hug, but Cadance stopped short. “I’m not coming any closer, Twilight,” she said, “I’m not only trying to set a good example for my subjects, but I’ve been caring for Flurry all morning and my suit needs to be thrown out.”

“Oh…alright,” Twilight said as her ears flattened.

“We can hug later, after everything’s been taken care of,” Cadance reassured.

“Do we need those suits?” Starlight asked.

“Yes,” Cadance said, “I’ve had two specially made just for you. Thin Line is bringing them down right now.”

As soon as she said this, a yellow mare brought the lightly grey suits over to where they were. Standing the respectable distance apart, she dropped them and urged the visiting ponies to quickly put them on. They were also told that, every time they visited Flurry, they would need to destroy the suit and get a new one. The virus could defeat typical laundering soap and water, so they had to take extra precautions when dealing with how to clean them.

This being accomplished, Cadance led them through the halls of her castle and into Flurry’s room. On the way, she explained that the only thing they had discovered so far that could kill the virus was extreme heat. Unfortunately, that same scorching flame would kill the pony who had the illness. So, they couldn’t use that for a cure. But, she assured the visitors that the best scientists and medical personnel in the Empire were working night and day to find something.

“Alright,” Cadance said, “we’re here. Now, I must warn you…do NOT touch her. Even with your suits on, there’s still a risk. We’ve got her resting comfortably now.”

With those words, she opened the door and Starlight and Twilight peeked inside. Even though the room was dark, they still noticed a small pack of ponies around a small bed. They crept inside and peered over their shoulders, and Twilight nearly burst into tears. There, on sheets stained with her body’s daily struggle, lay little Flurry Heart.