28 Days To Armageddon

The morning sun streamed in through Twilight’s hospital room window. Her nervous friends had tried to sleep, but often found the endeavor to be futile. Most had taken to pacing about the room, bumping into each other every now and again. However, none of the physical interactions caused any harsh feelings. For, after all, Twilight was a dear companion, and their minds were much too busy with the situation to feel anything else. It was a darkness that none of them had ever experienced before. Twilight lay in an induced coma, to be brought back only when the doctors figured out what the damage was.

For Mist Dawn, things were especially horrifying. She’d only just met Twilight a few days before, and yet she felt as though she’d known her forever. Twilight had that effect on ponies. There was a reason that she and her friends had been chosen to receive The Elements of Harmony and wield them. Mist had experienced that reason up close when she gazed into Twilight’s eyes and saw how kind they were. She might have been a social outcast back in Canterlot, but here, those orbs burned brighter than ever. Now, she lay in a bed with bright white linens, coated in a light aqua hospital gown. Needles and tubes ran in and out of her body. She was being kept alive by these inanimate objects.

Mist found a bit of cruel irony in the spectacle. The hooves that had so often trotted with news of friendship now lay dormant and alone. A smile that was filled with affection had been replaced by a look of indifference and solitude. Twilight’s body, normally full of life and curiosity, was now covered in a thick layer of scratches, bruises, and welts. Dried blood formed around each of her wounds, and it was easy to deduce that she’d been brutally tortured by her captor. Mist felt tears fall from her eyes as her emotions spiraled ever downward. It was so terribly depressive that she couldn’t even gather the strength to hate the pony who’d done this to Twilight. All she could do was sit and stare as Twilight’s chest rose and fell.

Suddenly, she felt a soft hoof on her shoulder. “We’re all feelin’ what yer feelin’,” Applejack said as she sat next to her. “I just want you to know that.”

“Oh, Applejack…what are we gonna do?” Mist asked helplessly.

“The only thing we can do,” the honest farmer responded, “wait…and hope for a miracle.”

Mist nodded before bending her head into Applejack’s shoulder. The farmer allowed her new friend to weep as she needed to. Soon, other ponies joined them, and after a few minutes, all of Twilight’s friends were huddled together. Their show of solidarity was inspirational, even if it was laced with a good dose of tears. They knew that their friendship was more than enough to get them through this. However, that did not stop the seeds of doubt from planting in their hearts. The very real probability of Twilight’s death slapped each of them square in the jaw. It was a blow unlike any other, and soon, each one of them wept.

After a few moments of this, the door opened and Dr. Stethoscope entered. His namesake was slung around his neck, and he used his magic to haul a clipboard beside him. He had been called in because he specialized in Unicorns, and the other doctors were afraid that Twilight had been infected with a magic disease. Sidestepping the weeping friends, he made his way over to where Twilight lay. He didn’t say anything, but ran a few tests with his magic. He also listened to her heart, and checked her breathing.

“Is…something wrong…doctor?” Fluttershy asked timidly.

Stethoscope sighed. “I’m afraid so.”

The friends gasped collectively. “So…what is it, then?” Mist asked nervously.

“Twilight has been infected with a serious magical illness. It’s called ‘Lycantropy,’ and it typically doesn’t take long to germinate.”

“Lycan…as in…werewolves?!” Fluttershy gulped.

Stethoscope nodded. He attempted to keep his emotions in check, but even he was concerned for the young pony lying at his hooves.

“Oh, goodness!” Rarity exclaimed, “what’s going to befall her?”

Stethoscope gave an odd look at Rarity’s choice of words, but continued. “On the night of the next full moon, she will turn into a werepony. These are creatures that exist only in legend, and nopony has ever gotten documented evidence of one before. I guess…that’s all about to change.”

Twilight’s friends looked at each other with wide eyes. They couldn’t believe what they’d just heard! Their Twilight, the one who normally ran to them in happiness and love, would turn into something terrifying. The awful thought that they might have to fight her ran through a few of their minds. Spilling her blood was just too much to bear, and most of them began weeping again. It was the darkest hour in their friendships’ small history, and none of them wanted anything to do with it. But fate had played its hoof and thrown them headlong into this new hell. Now, they had to face the prospect that, sometime, they might have to fight Twilight off in order to protect their home.

Mist was the first to speak after the crying subsided. “So, isn’t there anything we can do?”

“We’re fast tracking an attempt at a cure,” Stethoscope explained, “but it may take some time. Bluntly speaking, if Twilight does not receive it in the next 22 days…she will remain a werepony forever.”

“Forever?” Applejack asked, “but, wouldn’t she eventually die?”

“No, my dear, I’m afraid not,” Stethoscope said, “for death would be a mercy. Lycantropy was invented by some magic biologists hundreds of years ago. They wanted to impart a cruel punishment upon a deeply hated foe of theirs. So, they mixed a pony’s DNA with a timberwolf’s. They had also discovered the key to magical immortality, and added it as well. Princess Celestia got wind of their experiment and tried to stop it, but she was too late. They unleashed it onto their foe.”

“But I thought you said that there wasn’t any evidence of wereponies,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“I said ‘documented evidence,’ my dear,” Stethoscope responded, “this story was told to me by Celestia herself. While she may not have the physical evidence, I do not find it within her character to lie about such things.”

The friends all looked at each other and gulped. None of them wanted to believe the story, but the doctor made an excellent point. Celestia would never be dishonest, especially about a danger as great as this. So…could it be true? Would their Twilight be…turned into a werepony? Worse, would they ever have to fight her to save Ponyville?