Ponid-19

Twilight worried herself all through the night. She tossed and turned in her bed, which was covered in something akin to mosquito netting and distanced away from the other ponies in the room. There were so many helping to care for Flurry and keep the castle free of the illness, that she had to sleep in the same general area as thirty others. She didn’t mind, as she had often slept near her friends when on an adventure, but she missed the closeness of everything. She understood why it was happening, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed it. She wanted to be near somepony, and that familiar feeling of needing one simple embrace returned.

She didn’t sleep a wink and awoke the next morning with crusty eyes and a lack of direction. She just couldn’t decide what to do. On the one hoof, she knew that banning friends from seeing each other would help to “flatten the curve,” as Cadance had put it, and save ponies from catching this dreadful illness. On the other, her own principles demanded that she stand up for friendship in the face of every single adversary, including this one. So…which was the right decision? Would temporarily banning the intimacy of friendship help save it?

She stumbled into the castle dining area where Cadance, Shining Armor, and Starlight were already eating. They sat at separate tables, something that sent a shockwave of sadness coursing through Twilight. She knew that this was wrong, but she also knew the reasoning behind it, especially with Flurry Heart being so sick. Her worry intensified as she sat at her own table and was served eggs and pancakes via a long contraption that helped lessen the hoofprint of the server.

“I’m sorry for any inconvenience this might cause Your Majesty,” he said, “but Princess Cadance has ordered it.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Twilight said, “I’m just trying to make a fairly hefty decision and I don’t know what to do.”

“May I offer some advice?” The server asked boldly.

Twilight gave him a thankful look. At this point, she could use all the advice she could attain. “Of course!” She said, “and don’t be afraid. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Do what is best for everypony else. Forget everything you know about friendship and things like that and ensure their survival…even if it means restricting their freedom for a while.”

Twilight nodded. Of course. His advice was the exact same that Cadance had given her, and it didn’t help a speck of her horrific burden. But all the same, she smiled, nodded, and thanked him for his time. He bowed to her and trotted off to finish serving all the other palace workers and medical personnel. She suddenly thought of all the ponies back in her home who had these kinds of jobs and made friends while working. She wanted them to be able to have a future to look forward to. So, she put her hoof down.

I still have no idea if this decision is the right one, she told herself, but…I do want to help everyone, and I do want friendship to, not only survive, but thrive in the future. I have to think of the foals and the elderly. I…have…to shut down Ponyville.

She gulped at the sick feeling she gained when she finally made her decision. But she shook her head and consoled herself with the thoughts of all the future friendships that she might be saving. She asked Cadance if there was some extra parchment laying around, and her former foalsitter nodded. She floated a piece over to Twilight’s table, and Twilight called Starlight over and gave it to her.

“I need you to pen a letter to Mayor Mare for me,” Twilight said in a tone of voice that spoke of the official nature of this particular memorandum.

“Alright,” Starlight said, “what should I say?”

“I want you to tell her that I am ordering an immediate lockdown of Ponyville. Anypony found outside their homes on business other than getting food or acquiring medical care is to be arrested.”

“ARRESTED?!” Starlight yelped.

“I have to be incredibly strict about this, Starlight,” Twilight said solemnly, “it’s for everypony’s own good.”

“But…we don’t even know if the virus is IN Ponyville!” Starlight pointed out desperately.

“We don’t know that it’s not there, either,” Twilight snapped back, “now, Starlight, please quit being difficult and just write the letter. I don’t like doing this, but I have no choice.”

Starlight was absolutely shocked at the reaction Twilight put forth. But it seemed that a hardened fear for times yet to come had gripped her mind, even though she could not see them. She had proclaimed herself the soothsayer of Ponyville’s doom, and now Starlight had to be the messenger. She hated the position, and tried so hard to think of some way out. But with Twilight giving one of her famous looks that somehow combined cute pleading with tense warning, she just couldn’t. So, she wrote the letter, explaining everything to the Mayor in careful detail.

When the letter had been magically sent, Starlight and Twilight thanked Cadance and Shining Armor for letting them spend some time with Flurry. With the virus having been taken out of The Crystal Empire, they wanted to get back to Ponyville as soon as they could. Ensuring everyone’s safety was their top priority, and Twilight’s beloved family members nodded in complete understanding. Twilight also mentioned the doctor who had treated her rudely, and Cadance said she’d look into having his license removed. With that, Starlight and Twilight trotted off towards the train depot…

“Do you really believe that Ponyville is next on the virus hit list?” Starlight asked Twilight as their train chugged back towards home.

Twilight nodded. “I do. There’s no telling where that crazed pony might have gone. I mean…they could be purposefully infecting Equestria as we speak! Think about it, Starlight. What happens if all of Equestria gets this horrible illness?”

“Then friendship will die, and Equestria along with it,” Starlight said in a robotic tone, and then quickly added, “but I don’t think that’s gonna happen!”

“It might happen!” Twilight exclaimed, “that’s why we need to take measures now to protect everypony. That’s why I ordered Ponyville to be shut down. No businesses, except for the most essential, no parks, no picnics, no concerts, no…nothing! Ponies must remain in their homes. It’s…what everypony needs.”

Starlight sighed and slumped back on her bench. She couldn’t believe that The Princess of Friendship was taking steps to destroy the very nature of her title. She knew of the great fear that lay in such an illness, and she also knew of the grave risk in simply going outside with it hanging around. But all the same, even though the air might carry death, the heart definitely carried life. She wanted to experience that life, the same one that she had taken from so many when she dictated her cutie mark-less village. She felt that many were being unfairly punished for the sickness of one group.

She also found the timeline of the sickness to be a little suspicious. The Crystal Virus had afflicted ponies before, but always on a very small scale. While they were in the Empire, she’d spoken with one of the virologists that was working to help develop a cure for Flurry and all the other sick ponies. It seemed that this was the first outbreak of the sickness on this level, and it was a completely new strain. He also told her that it was a silent killer, and most ponies didn’t know they had it until they began showing symptoms. They would then average three weeks of life before dying in terrifying pain.

A virus of this magnitude just suddenly appears in The Crystal Empire? She asked herself, this cannot be right. I mean, viruses don’t just…appear! They have to come from somewhere! Whether that be animals, toilets, or all manner of disgusting places. They have to be born!

She suddenly sat straight up and took on a brave look. I’m gonna find it! I’m gonna find out where PONID-19 is coming from! I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but I WILL find it! If I can uncover the source, perhaps we can use it to create a cure, and if that happens, Twilight won’t have to lockdown Ponyville, nor will the rest of Equestria have to suffer! Friendship can still be saved!