The sun was just setting over Ponyville, the sky clear of any clouds. Birds sang on top of rooftops, lightning bugs began roaming the streets, and the few ponies still out were heading home, all tired from the long day. All of this was just outside the windows.

Despite what most may call a beautiful scene, the three fillies weren’t interested. Instead, they had just finished eating slices of delivery pizza and were locked in an intense game of truth or dare.

“Truth, huh,” Apple Bloom asked, tapping her chin. After a moment’s thought, she grew a wicked grin. “Soooo,” she began, “Sweetie Belle. Got any crushes?”

Sweetie Belle’s face blushed intensely with embarrassment. “C-Crushes? I-I…uh… W-Why would you think that?” she nervously giggled, trying to avoid answering.

Snickering, Apple Bloom mocked, “Yer blushin’ redder than a ripe tomato!” Sighing, she tried to hide her glee. “Come on, Sweetie Belle. We ain’t gonna judge ya. Right, Scoot?”

“Of course not,” Scootaloo assured. After a moment of silence from Sweetie Belle, she suggested, “Hey, how about I tell you mine after? Would that make you feel better?”

An almost inaudible mumble came from a flustered Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Did you say somethin?” she asked.

Sweetie Belle mumbled again, this time a little louder than before. “Huh?” Scootaloo asked.

“I SAID I HAVE A CRUSH ON PIPSQUEAK,” Sweetie Belle shouted, her voice cracking.

The other two recoiled, shocked at Sweetie Belle’s sudden increase in volume. Looking at each other, they gave equally confused glances. Finally, Apple Bloom looked back at Sweetie Belle. “Pipsqueak?” Apple Bloom asked.

“He’s a nice colt! A-And he’s cute,” Sweetie Belle defended, blushing furiously. “Don’t judge me!”

“I-It ain’t that I’m judgin’,” Apple Bloom assured. “It’s just… why’d you feel so embarrassed about him?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo chimed in. Giggling, she explained, “With a look like that, I thought you’d say somepony like Snails!”

Sweetie Belle cringed. “Snails?” she asked, exasperated. “Eeww! That’s just gross!”

“He ain’t that bad,” Apple Bloom countered, trying to hide her laughter.

“Well, no, but…” Scootaloo trailed her sentence off as she felt a sudden jab in her head. Quietly grumbling, she began rubbing her forehead with a hoof.

Both of her friends gave her a concerned look. “You doin’ alright, Scoot?” Apple Bloom asked, frowning.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo replied, looking up at her friends. “Just a little headache.” Reaching to the side of her, she was met with an empty tissue box. “Shoot. Do you have any more tissues?”

“There’s a box downstairs…,” Sweetie Belle informed, hesitantly, “but are you sure you’re feeling alright?” There was a pause before Sweetie Belle continued, almost taking on a conspiratorial tone. “You’re not… sick, are you?”

Scootaloo deadpanned, rolling her eyes. “This again?” she whined, tired of Sweetie Belle’s paranoia. “For the last time, it’s just a cold!”

“B-But-”

Loudly groaning, Scootaloo spat, “Look. I haven’t had any dark, oily stuff come out, right? If I were really sick, surely I’dve produced some of that stuff by now, right?”

Sweetie Belle looked off to the side, muttering spitefully, “Sorry I asked.”

Seeing the awkward tension in the room, Apple Bloom attempted to lighten the mood. “I’m sure it’s nothin’,” she assured. “Why don’t ya go downstairs ‘n get that box. After ya can tell us yer crush!”

“Huh?” Scootaloo asked, standing up. “Oh that. My crush is probably-”

“Not now! We wanna talk about it after, dummy,” Apple Bloom hastily exclaimed.

“Eh, if that’s what you want,” Scootaloo replied, a smirk on her face. “Be back in a few!”

With that, Scootaloo strolled out of the room, gently closing Sweetie Belle’s door. The hall she had entered was certainly more extravagant than the one back at her own home. The wallpaper had variety, with two different shades of deep purple complimenting the lavender-coated wood trim.

Adding to the wall, there were elegant paintings of ponies she could only guess were their relatives from the past. If that wasn’t enough, above her hung intricate chandeliers, not a speck of dust clinging on them. The best way she could come up with to describe it was palace-like.

Continuing down the hall, she eventually approached a stairwell, taking it to get to the boutique floor. As she descended, her head continued to pound, her nose becoming more blocked. She sniffled.

Passing through the boutique, she arrived at the kitchen entrance. Rarity looked up, watching Scootaloo stroll in. “Hello darling,” she greeted, smiling elegantly. “Having fun?”

“Huh?” Scootaloo asked, her attention moving from her pounding head. “Oh, uh, yeah! It’s been really fun! I mean, I haven’t seen them in so long. Definitely worth getting tested.”

“That’s wonderful,” Rarity exclaimed. “I know being tested hurts. Why, if adults were able to get the virus, I don’t even know if I’d have the willpower to go through with what you all did.” Smiling, Rarity concluded, “I suppose that just goes to show how strong your bonds truly are with each other.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo replied, only half paying attention. She scanned the room to see if there were any tissues nearby. “Uh, where do you keep the tissues?”

“Oh! Let me fetch you a box,” she said, opening up a small cabinet door close to the floor. She levitated out a small lavender box of tissues, setting it down in front of Scootaloo. “Here you are, darling.”

Nesting the box between her wing, Scootaloo went to blow her nose. “Now, why don’t you head on back up to-” As Scootaloo pulled the tissue away, both Rarity and she felt their hearts skip a beat. The tissue had been stained black.

A screech that shattered her eardrums followed by the sound of a breaking glass. It was something out of a horror movie. Worse, the loud noise caused a jagged stab in her head, far more painful than the dull thumping from before. She dropped the tissue box and tissue, sitting down and pressing onto her temples with her forehooves.

Immediately, Rarity covered her mouth, realizing how loud she must’ve sounded to Scootaloo. She bit her lip, frantically trying to get her mind to focus. “Wait right there,” Rarity ordered, trying to be quieter. Standing up, she speed-walked out of the room. Sure enough, as she left the room, she heard little hooves descending the stairs. The sound made her cringe, wishing her sister wasn’t so curious.

Rarity ran over to the stairwell, plucking two startled fillies off it with her magic. For half of a second, she questioned how she was even capable of doing this in the first place. It took an extremely powerful and skillful pony to lift other ponies, and she was nowhere near that.

That moment hastily scurried away as new, more pressing matters clawed into her mind. Knowing how she was doing this could wait. For now, she needed her sister out of the boutique.

Thanking Celestia for her sudden strength, she dashed to the boutique’s entrance and plopped the two outside. She slipped past the door, carefully closing it as to prevent more pain to Scootaloo’s eardrums.

Apple Bloom’s wide eyes looked up at Rarity’s. “W-What’s goin’ on?” Apple Bloom asked, her voice shaking.

“Symptoms,” Rarity demanded, turning her head towards the fillies. Her eyes were practically bound to them, not letting herself blink once. “Answer me,” she cried, all sense of class flying away.

Giving each other another glance, both fillies shook their heads. “Thank Celestia,” she muttered, exhaling a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Clearing her voice, she commanded, “Stay out here and keep a reasonable distance between you two. Understood?”

Both fillies nodded. Hoping they’d do as they were told, Rarity ran back into the boutique. Inside, she heard a stifled cry from the kitchen following a slam of the boutique door. “Ack! S-Sorry darling,” Rarity apologized, galloping to the kitchen.

Scootaloo was still next to the dropped box of tissues, rubbing her head to soothe her pain. As Rarity searched through a frilly saddle bag resting on the counter, Scootaloo asked, “Um, am I going to be alright?”

There was an unnerving pause before Rarity finally spoke. “I-I’m sure you’ll be alright, darling.” Soon, she levitated out three testing kits, setting one down next to Scootaloo. “Now, I need you to hold still for me, alright?” Rarity asked.

With a lump in her throat, Scootaloo nodded. She watched as Rarity opened the testing kit. Inside was a small tool that looked somewhat like a potato peeler, a small bottle of rubbing alcohol, a small fabric, a bandage, and a small square tab that shined in the light.

Rarity gently tugged Scootaloo’s foreleg, pulling it out flat. First, she wetted the small fabric with the rubbing alcohol and proceeded to rub a small section of Scootaloo’s foreleg with it.

Next, she pulled out the tool, pressing it on the top of the now damp section. “This may hurt a tad,” She informed. “Do you want me to count down?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “N-No thanks,” she said, trying to sound confident.

“Alright, then,” Rarity conceded. “Just hold still.” In a blink of an eye, she scrapped the tool down Scootaloo’s foreleg. She watched the filly flinch in pain, the rubbing alcohol no doubt making it even more uncomfortable.

Once she had scrapped to the bottom of the damp section, she threw the tool aside. There was now a wound on Scootaloo’s foreleg. Soon, blood began to rise out.

Seeing this, Rarity hastily picked up the small square tab and carefully placed it on the wound. As she applied pressure to the tab, she levitated the bandage out as well, wanting to get the wound patched as quickly as possible.

Finally, after about 5 seconds, she pulled the tab off, replacing it with the bandage. Once the bandage was secure, she looked over to the tab. As it dried, its color turned from crimson to bright neon green.

Scootaloo’s heart sank as she heard Rarity wearily mutter, “Positive.”

***

As the sun began to set over Ponyville, Rainbow began packing her saddlebag. “Hey, there, partner,” a friendly voice called. Looking over, Rainbow Dash saw Applejack approach.

“Headin’ home I take it?” Applejack asked, stopping in front of Rainbow. She held an inhaler, tissues, a thin book, and a small plush bear, all in the grasp of one foreleg. The sight was impressive, to say the least.

“Uh yeah,” Rainbow replied, stuffing her now empty brown lunch bag into one of the pockets. “We’ve been working all day. Shouldn’t you be going home too?”

“Me?” Applejack asked, looking around. “Oh, uh, I’m gonna help Twist first.” She shifted her foreleg up her chest, trying not to drop the stuff she was holding. “She’ll be in stage 4 soon, so I figured I’d give her a little extra attention.”

“You’re working late again?” Rainbow asked, baffled. “But it’s your birthday!”

“So?” Applejack asked. “It’s my birthday. Can’t I spend it however I want?”

“T-That’s-” Rainbow’s cheeks reddened. “Ugh! I just thought you’d wanna do something different today,” she explained.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” she asked, lightly smirking. “How do you think I should spend it?”

“I don’t know, party with Pinkie Pie? Go out on the town? It’s your birthday, Applejack! You should be having fun! Not working,” Rainbow concluded.

Before Applejack could respond, she spotted Fluttershy trying to sneak past them, shaking. “Fluttershy?” Applejack asked, causing her yellow friend to yelp.

“O-Oh, um, hello Applejack,” Fluttershy whispered. “W-What are you still doing here?”

“Working,” Rainbow deadpanned. Plucking up her saddlebag, she tossed it in the air, catching it on her back. “You headed home?”

“Um, well, I was, but…” Fluttershy’s words trailed off, her eyes fraught with worry.

“Somethin’ happen?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“N-No! Nothing at all! I-I’m just…” Biting her lip, sweat began to pour down her head. She hid behind her long pink mane, trying to hide from her friends.

Applejack noticed the signs immediately. She was looking off to the side, she was sweating bullets, and she was fidgety; a trait Fluttershy often had when uncomfortable. She was lying.

“I-I-”

Cutting Fluttershy off, Applejack softly spoke. “No need ta hide anythin’,” she reminded. “We’re yer friends, remember? We won’t judge.”

Glancing to the side, Fluttershy stammered, “I-I-It’s not that…” There was a moment of silence after she trailed off. Crickets chirped in the evening air, the wind blowing lazily. Gulping down her fear, she muttered, “Well, I suppose you two should know…”

“Know what?” Rainbow asked, scratching the back of her neck.

“W-We got a call from R-R-Rarity,” Fluttershy whimpered. Applejack and Rainbow both looked at each other, their faces rapidly turning ghostly. There was a small pause before Fluttershy spoke up again. “S-She said- …um…”

Applejack looked to her yellow friend. The items she was holding began to slip out of her grasp. “What did she say?” she asked wearily.

“Somepony tested positive,” Fluttershy blurted out, clenching her eyes tight and recoiling, biting down on her bottom lip.

Rainbow’s eyes darted between her friends, hoping one of them would speak up. Her throat turned to sandpaper as the seconds of silence passed. Finally, she croaked out, “Who?”

“S-She didn’t say who, b-but she sounded so s-s-scared.” Rainbow’s mind was twirling. She forced her tense muscles to relax, trying to calm herself. Stay calm, she reminded herself. Breathe. Scoot’s fine. She’ll be fine…

Applejack let the items drop onto the grass. “Come on,” she called, her voice filled with gusto. “We gotta hurry! ‘Fore the virus spreads ta the others!”

Applejack took off, Fluttershy and Rainbow following inches behind. They passed tents after tents, galloping to where the carts were. Once in view, they ran over to one of the makeshift medical carts.

The one they ran to had a Sweet Apple Acres logo emblazoned on the side. To make it suitable for medical transfer, the cart had been modified with tarp over the top and the inside covered in disposable plastic.

“Fluttershy,” Applejack called. “Stay here an’ get a bed set up!” She latched the cart to her, looking back. Fluttershy nodded and left hastily. “Ya wanna hop in, Rainbow?”

There was absolutely no way Rainbow could sit still in that cart. Her heart was pounding, her adrenaline rushing. “I-I’ll just hoof it,” she squawked.

Applejack shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

With that, the two kicked off, running out into Ponyville. Seeing that the tents were set up in the park, it wouldn’t be too long until they arrived at Rarity’s Boutique. Still, even that short amount of time was excruciating on Rainbow’s mind.

She kept pushing her anxiety away, only for it to creep up again. It isn’t her, she repeated, again and again, trying to hold onto her sanity. She could practically hear her inner pessimist scrape its way into her mind. But what if…

Rainbow shook those thoughts away, continuing to trudge on. Finally, after what felt like a century, Rarity’s boutique came into view. For a fleeting second, she felt a sense of relief.

Then she realized who was outside. Rarity stood in front of two fillies, neither of which were Scootaloo. Though her pace didn’t wane, there was a hurricane wracking her surprisingly fragile heart. As soon as they were in earshot, Rainbow cried, “Where is Scoot?” Her voice sounded on the verge of a mental breakdown. “Where?”

A sour flinch came from Rarity as she looked over to see who was coming. The two mares skidded to a halt in front of her. “Rainbow, Applejack, darlings,” she stalled. “What are-”

“WHERE?”

She knew her friend wasn’t asking. Reluctantly, Rarity muttered, “The kitchen,” in a squeaky, frightened voice. Without another word, Rainbow barreled past her, knocking her to the ground.

The door to the boutique flew open, nearly falling off its hinges. Rainbow ran through, gunning for the kitchen. The kick of her adrenaline got her there in less than a second, freezing at the kitchen entrance.

Scootaloo sat near the dining table, clutching a box of tissues while rubbing her head. A dribble of blackened snot dribbled out her irritated nostril. She looked exhausted. “Rainbow?” She asked, looking up.

Her body was still as stone, her mind swirling. Rainbow’s world began spinning. She felt her head grow light and her muscles go numb. Words failed her as she tried to say something, her throat producing only a dry gargle. Then she went dark.

THUD!

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It took a tad longer than I thought due to personal reasons, so sorry for the delay . I'll try to get the next chapter out within a month. Thanks for reading!