The Shadow Plague

Chapters

Prologue: The Package
Chapter 1: The Sickness
Chapter 2: The Run
Chapter 3: The Rumours

Prologue: The Package

In the year following the Battle of Equestria, prosperity has excelled across the land. Thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her friends’ fair and passionate leadership, the kingdom has thrived like never before.

It was the final evening of winter; Twilight Sparkle and Spike were in the throne room of the Canterlot Castle where Spike was filling the Princess in on the last news of the day and of the season.

“…and that’s Mayor Mare’s report on the fastest Winter Wrap Up in Ponyville history!” Spike was just finishing up reading Twilight a newsletter from Ponyville.

“That’s excellent news! My lesson on organization has gone a long way. I’m so excited for the trip to Ponyville tomorrow for the Spring Banquet.” Twilight said striding to the window and looking out at the magnificent evening view of Canterlot. “It will be so nice to see my friends again, and check in on how the friendship school is doing. Starlight says the graduation rate is at an all-time high”

“Ah yes, home sweet home. You all packed up for tomorrow Twi?” Spike asked

“Yup, all done this morning” She replied cheerfully

“And you’re not going to repack everything to make sure you have everything?” Spike asked with a smile.

“Actually, I don’t need to, but I do want to go over the checklist with you one last time just in case. But I think we are ok for the train ride tomorrow” Twilight replied

As Spike and Twilight turned to leave the throne room, there was a loud crack and a spark of light, and Discord was standing in the doorway. He looked distinctly unwell and had a bluish tinge to his skin, his eyes were blood red and he appeared to be leaning on the wall for balance. He was also holding a large black box. Twilight stopped, “Oh, Discord, what a surprise. Can I help you with something?” she asked slightly confused. Discord said nothing. All he did was close his eyes and groan. He appeared in a lot of pain.

“Are you ok Discord? This isn’t some kind of trick is it?”

Discord shook his head and groaned louder.

“What’s the matter? Get into the Apples’ secret cider stash before the season?” Spike asked, laughing. Twilight bumped him and shot him a stern look.

“Discord, is there anything we can do to help you?” Twilight asked, a concern growing in her voice now.

At last, Discord spoke. “It happened so suddenly, as if out of nowhere.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I have been examining it lately to see what other uses it could have. Then, I felt I got struck by some invisible force. I couldn’t see anything, I also didn’t detect any dark magic. I felt fine after, but then suddenly, I was in pain everywhere, my magic was suppressed, I could barely stand. I used the last of my energy to come here, but there is no more” Discord slowly raised a trembling hand, snapped his fingers and small sparks flew from his hand but nothing else happened. He groaned loudly again, obviously in a lot of pain.

Twilight looked at Spike, Worried. “What were you examining?” She asked Discord. Discord held up the large black box, he seemed unable to bear its weight, he nearly dropped it, but Twilight used her magic to take it. Then, Discord collapsed.

“Discord?” Twilight turned to look at him lying motionless on the floor “No!” yelled Twilight. She rushed to his side, desperately trying to examine him. “No, Discord No!” tears flowed to her eyes.

“Uh, Twilight?” Said Spike from behind her

Twilight turned to look, Spike had opened the box and was holding a large irregularly shaped object. The object was a pale green color and looked quite old. Its bottom was hollow, and on top it had a loop that looked like a hook or handle. Spike looked puzzled.

“Oh my Celestia!” Gasped Twilight “That’s… That’s Grogar’s Bell!”

Spike looked down at the object he was holding, and dropped it immediately with a loud clang as it hit the floor.

“Careful with that!” Twilight scolded “S-Sorry” said Spike as he backed away nervously from the bell. “But how?” he asked clearly in shock.

“I haven’t seen this since the Battle of Equestria” said Twilight “It was how Cozy Glow, Tirek and Chrysalis got so powerful that they nearly destroyed all of Equestria. It was only this same bell that could contain them for us to defeat them.”

Spike stood, still in shock. “How did Discord get it?”

“He must have taken it after the Battle of Equestria” replied Twilight “Which would make sense, Discord’s magic is powerful, and though he wouldn’t have been my first choice, I suppose he is trustworthy to keep it safe. I wonder what he was examining about it.”

“Well whatever it was it seemed to really hurt him” Said Spike. Twilight looked over to Discord.

“Spike, change of plans, we leave for Ponyville right now. We need to get him to Zecora’s, she might be able to help him. Alert the guards, tell them to organize an emergency transport to Ponyville leaving in 10 minutes.”

“Yes ma’am!” said Spike running off.

Twilight looked again at Discord, then at the bell. “What could possibly have done this to him?” she wondered. She walked over to the window and looked out. The sun had disappeared behind the mountains on the horizon. “I need you girls, we have a friend in desperate need. I so hope we can fix this, together.”

“Twilight, time to go, are you ready?” Spike asked from the doorway. Two of the royal guards loaded Discord onto a stretcher and carried him off. Spike moved to grab the bell.

“Don’t! Here, let me do it” Twilight said using her magic to put the bell back into its box.

“This is so strange Twilight. We haven’t seen Discord in a long time, and now he just shows up here, with Grogar’s bell, and passes out from some inexplicable illness?” Spike said as they walked out of the castle to the transport.

“I know, Spike. It is very strange” Said Twilight. “And I have this uneasy feeling that it’s only going to get a lot stranger soon”

Chapter 1: The Sickness

It was a clear dark night, the streets of Manehattan were bustling and busy as usual, but slightly above street level, the serene quiet of the night was present. Nightrider stood on the roof of a low rise building between a busy intersection and the entrance to a dark and dirty alley. She was standing on the edge, staring up at the moon. It was the last night of winter, and the moon was full, Nightrider was doing what she always did on these nights. She was thinking, thinking about her past, and about her present and future. Each time, Nightrider gets lost in a vortex of flashbacks varying in intensity, testimony that her thoughts get her nowhere. She is still stuck in her life, a life that had been ravaged by tragedy. Orphaned as a young filly when her parents lost their lives in a changeling attack, Nightrider grew up on the crime ridden streets. She had to fight constantly for her survival, and in doing so, she discovered her hatred for evil. As she grew up in a constant fight she got great at defending herself, she trained herself as a martial artist and gymnast, she is extremely agile, flexible and quite strong, she has also trained her hearing to acute levels, and has mastered moving without making a sound. Today she lives as a vigilante antihero who hides in the shadows, strikes her enemies fast and effectively and is gone before they can retaliate. Nightrider has made it her mission to destroy as much evil as she possibly can, by any means necessary. Motivated by her uncertainty of her past and future, and by her harsh childhood, Nightrider does this to come to some form of peaceful terms with her past and future.

The sound of breaking glass interrupted Nightrider’s thoughts. Her eyes flew open and she glanced in the direction of the sound. She heard a series of thumps and muffled voices. Without making a sound she made her way to the edge of her rooftop, and peeked over the edge doing her best to remain concealed. There was a broken window and 2 stallions were stuffing what appeared to be bags, Nightrider looked up at the building opposite her, the sign read “First Marehood Jewelers” it was a jewelry store. Nightrider moved closer to try and hear what the ponies were saying. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she was sure she heard the name Boris. The ponies stopped moving, they were now looking in the broken window, muttering. Then the deafening sound of an alarm going off from inside the store. A third pony joined the first two from the broken window, and the other two looked furious. One started yelling “Boris, what did you do? You had one job! One!”

They frantically started stuffing the bags again, Nightrider made out shiny items in the bags “Really?” she said to herself “Stealing wedding rings and pearl necklaces?” she rolled her eyes, “Typical”

The ponies made to leave, so Nightrider jumped, and disappeared. The robber ponies made it to the end of the alley when suddenly one of them was knocked over. The other two looked around in disbelief, one of them turned out to be a unicorn, who cast a light spell, then, he was also knocked over and fell on his face. Then finally, the three of them were thrown together and before anyone could move, they were being tied up by another pony, it was Nightrider.

“Evening fellas, what’s with the bling?” Nightrider said with a smirk. The pony called Boris lunged at the bags, “Ah ah ah, I don’t believe that’s yours” she said. The unicorn fired a spell at her, but Nightrider was too fast, she dodged it and countered with a kick to his face, the satisfying cracking sound made her sure she drew blood. Nightrider secured the rope to a pole nearby, and with a flick of her tail, she was gone. The ponies tried uselessly to escape, but sirens could already be heard up the street. Nightrider watched from her original rooftop for a moment, she knew they wouldn’t get free before the authorities found them. She then leapt again and made her way to a new, quieter rooftop to get lost again in thought.

A few blocks away Nightrider found another clear, quiet spot. She looked up at the moon, “… …Life is wonderful. But… why?” her thoughts were interrupted again, but this time it was from a faint but distinctly painful groaning noise from below her, she moved to the edge of her rooftop to look and noticed a pony huddled to the side against the wall on an otherwise deserted street. “Just a bum” she thought. But she couldn’t help but wonder, what if this pony needed help? Irritated with her own self she decided to investigate. She made her way down a nearby fire escape, and came up to the pony. She was an elderly mare but she looked strong for her age. She was groaning and mumbling to herself and coughing badly, she seemed unaware of Nightrider’s presence. “Uh, can I help you?” she said to the mare, who immediately turned around startled

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you”

“No its alright” said the elderly pony “I haven’t been really feeling myself lately, out of nowhere I have this cough and terrible pain everywhere. Where am I?” she asked

Nightrider was puzzled “Uh Manehatten. Lower West Side” she replied. The mare looked shocked “That’s impossible, I live on the other side of the river, I don’t remember walking over 15 miles to get here.” The pony entered an awful coughing fit that lasted several minutes, and she spat blood several times.

“Maybe we should get you to a hospital” Nightrider offered. The other pony groaned and nodded “That might help” she said.

Nightrider normally didn’t like directly dealing with other ponies, but she could tell something was not right with this elderly mare. Nightrider supported the pony up the street to a hospital and went in, by now the mare was very weak and her blue and white mane looked much paler than it was before. Nightrider noticed a young filly that looked to be having the same symptoms as the elderly mare, but Nightrider didn’t stop to interact further, she had done her part by escorting the mare here, so she silently left before the elderly mare could even thank her.

Back on her rooftop, she thought about what happened. “Two different ponies having similar symptoms in one night” she said to herself “Could that be just a coincidence?” she pondered several minutes “what does it matter anyway? Not like I can help at all” she said again to herself. “whatever” she thought “that’s why we have doctors”, and she made her way into a corner, lay down and tried to go to sleep.

Nightrider was awoken by a loud shriek. She opened her eyes and saw that it was still dark, the sky was overcast and was giving way to faint light, it was the early hours of morning. Nightrider got up and made her way to see what all the commotion was, she saw three ponies huddling around a fourth who was lying on the ground motionless, it appeared to be a young stallion. Nightrider made her way to the edge of her building to try to see and hear the scene better. She heard voices but could not make out exactly what the other ponies were saying, she sensed a deep panic in their voices and could make out that whatever happened was very sudden. A young mare began sobbing uncontrollably.

“How could this have happened? He was fine last night!” screamed the young mare between sobs.

Nightrider frowned and closed her eyes. She shook her head and dashed to the fire escape, she could not bear hearing anymore.

“Why do I even give a damn?” she said to herself as she quickly and effortlessly made her way down from the roof. “I’m sure it’s nothing…”

She made her way to the collapsed stallion. “Out of the way everypony” she ordered. She ran her hoof down the stallion’s chest, she checked his pulse and felt that he was still alive. She turned to the young mare. “What happened here?”

“I don’t know” she said still crying “He just collapsed. He was fine last night, but now as we were walking home he just...” she trailed off into more sobbing.

Nightrider stepped toward the mare “Calm down” she told her “Where were you walking home from?”

“We were at a birthday party for a friend” She sobbed “It went on quite late, and it was not far from here. He was fine all night, nothing out of the ordinary”

Nightrider looked at the other two ponies

“We own the café just over there” one stallion said pointing “my brother and I were preparing to open but we saw what happened and came to see if we could help”

“Did your boyfriend experience any coughing?” Nightrider asked the mare “now that you mention it, he has been speaking of a slight pain in his chest, and yes maybe a few coughs”

Nightrider thought of the elderly mare she helped earlier, and the young filly she saw in the hospital. “How long has he felt this way?” she asked

“a day or two” the mare replied.

“You need to get him to a hospital, now!” Nightrider said “You two, help her” she said to the stallion brothers, and with a swish of her tail, Nightrider was gone.

Nightrider made her way back to the rooftops where she felt most comfortable. The sun was rising now over the city, but Nightrider didn’t stop to ponder, she was running at full gallop jumping gaps between buildings. “this can’t be a coincidence” she thought to herself. I need to figure out what the hay is going on with these ponies” she made her way to the hospital where she left the old mare the previous night and went into the emergency. Nightrider looked around the waiting area, there were at least a dozen other ponies there, and many looked as sick as the other’s Nightrider saw, but there were some with different issues, one young colt was there with his mother who was using her unicorn magic to hold an ice pack to his leg, another Pegasus mare had her wing in a bandage. Nightrider thought that it was a normal emergency room sight but was still troubled at the similarity of the ones who were sick. Each sick pony looked to be in a lot of pain and a few were coughing, just like what Nightrider saw.

Nightrider made her way to where the ER beds were and slipped in when a nurse walked out, she saw more sick, groaning and coughing ponies in almost every ward in the room, some of them looked slightly discolored. She spotted the old mare she helped the previous night when a nurse came up to her. “You can’t be in this area, are you sick?” she asked.

“No’ replied Nightrider, she glanced to the old mare and thought for a second “She is my grandmother, I’m desperate to know what’s wrong with her.” Nightrider lied “Please, anything you can tell me”

The nurse mare sighed “Well, she was brought in last night with serious respiratory difficulties.” The nurse explained. “She had an overwhelming cough and complained of pain throughout her body, and she was growing weaker with each passing moment. Similar symptoms have been reported by other patients”

“Do you know what’s wrong with her?” asked Nightrider, trying to sound desperate.

“We have placed her on heavily sedating pain medication, morphine and Percocet, and assisted her breathing, basically we have stabilized her condition and are awaiting a physician to analyze further and start treatment.” The nurse explained. “Unfortunately we were unable to get much further as we are getting busy. Other patients are reporting similar symptoms so we should know something soon, but you really should be waiting outside.” The nurse motioned to the door to the waiting room.

Nightrider forced herself to look and sound as desperate as ever. “Please, my parents passed away not long ago and my grandma is all I have left! I need to know something more reassuring”

The nurse sighed again “Just a minute.” And quickly trotted off, she returned with a unicorn stallion “The doctor in charge of the emergency room from the time your grandmother was brought in is just off and the next one will soon be in, he has agreed to fill you in on what he knows.” And she trotted off again to tend to another patient.

“Dr. Bigmane” said the doctor introducing himself, he was muscular and bulky, he seemed in great shape, and his mane flowed long and loose, like liquid. He had an accent that Nightrider was not familiar with. Nightrider might have found him ever so slightly attractive. “Quickly now young lass I must be off to see my brother in Ponyville regarding the matter” Dr. Bigmane seemed to be a senior member of the staff, Nightrider could tell he had experience and that he knew quite a bit about what was going on. “What can you tell me doc?” asked Nightrider, trying to mask her curiosity with concern.

“We are dealing with a form of infection here, a type of disease it seems, but it doesn’t appear to be viral” said Dr. Bigmane “Early analysis on some of the first patients reporting these symptoms have showed whatever we are dealing with suppresses the respiratory system and as a result causes chest pain around the lung area. In some cases, it appears other bodily systems are also affected which explains the pain elsewhere in the body. Unicorn ponies are reporting that they have been unable to use their magic for quite some time before they got sick, also pegasus ponies have reported their flight has been impaired too. The most obvious thing you might have noticed is the discoloration of the bodies and manes of the infected” The doctor went on.

“Your grandmother has told us that she started feeling pain in her chest, then, throughout her body, and her coughing has been intensifying ever since. We put her on morphine and other pain killers and put her on a ventilator to assist her breathing, she is in critical but stable condition. Unfortunately this is all we know at this time. Hospitals all over Manehattan have been reporting similar situations; one hospital reported that a closer look at the horn of one unicorn had showed signs of decay in its core. This news is truly alarming and as a result I am headed to Ponyville to speak to my brother Dr. Whooves, who has reported similar conditions there too. He is an expert on technology and I am an expert on infectious disease, we hope to go to Equestria’s disease control laboratory in Canterlot to escalate the matter and see if they know any more, maybe even to Princess Twilight Sparkle herself, surely all of Equestria is dealing with this plague like condition.” The doctor started towards the door, “I must be going now lassie, best of luck with your grandmother’s condition”

“Thank you doctor, you have been most helpful” Nightrider replied, and Dr. Bigmane left. She needed to know more about how these ponies got sick, and what they were doing in the days before they were hospitalized. She looked around the emergency ward, all the ponies were either completely sedated our too weak to speak. She made her way to a mare about her age to try and gather some information.

“Excuse me?” she said to the mare, she looked very weak and her bright pink and yellow mane looked very discolored, as if it was turning gray, but she was able to look at Nightrider and was able to muster a faint “Wha…?” Nightrider continued “What happened to you? How long have you been feeling like this?” she mare coughed and Nightrider ducked her head quickly. “So much pain… coughing… unbearable…” the mare groaned, Nightrider pressed on “When did you start feeling like this?”

“Yester…” the mare trailed off.

“Were you doing anything out of the ordinary?” Nightrider asked now some desperation in her voice.

“No, jus… at home with my mom…” The mare said barely audible

“Where is your mom?” Nightrider asked, nearly begging now for any information.

“Came here with me… sick too…” the mare said “She was coughing lots of blood and… collapsed on the way… had to drag her, but it was so hard…” the mare broke off into a coughing fit and the nurse from before came to her side. “Excuse me, but you really must go now” she said to Nightrider more sternly now. Nightrider wanted to argue and try and get more information, but decided to go and avoid a scene.

She left to the waiting room, and saw the other sick ponies, coughing, groaning in pain, and having obvious discoloration all over their bodies. Nightrider wanted to question further, but thought it was best to leave, these ponies were too weak to give her the info she needed. She left the hospital into the now sunlit street, and her thoughts began to race again like they always did, but this time, it wasn’t her past haunting her, it was the sight she saw in the hospital. “A random disease comes out of nowhere and all of a sudden these innocent ponies are barely clinging to life.” She thought to herself as started walking.

She made her way back to where she had spent the night, or what little of it she actually slept through, Nightrider was used to getting little sleep. Her sleep was almost always interrupted by something. Either it was somepony in need, or her own racing thoughts about her life. Nightrider frequently suffered from flashbacks from her past tragedy. It was not common for a young filly to grow up on the streets, in the underworld of society, with no one around to care for her. Young ponies need love and care so they grow up to be the living embodiments of love, friendship and happiness, at least that’s the story Nightrider was always made aware of while she watched from the sidelines, her life a constant fight for survival against those who suffered the same fate as she has. Nightrider had all but given up on love and friendship. She once desired it, but that was long ago, she spent her life just trying to isolate herself from all the evil around her. All she ever knew was evil, and she always hated it, so her only motivation is to destroy as much evil as she can so others don’t need to see feel what she has seen and felt.

As Nightrider walked past an alley, she heard a noise, as if something was ruffling through something. She carefully and quietly made her way to investigate. She saw the back side of a pony head first inside a dumpster, frantically rummaging through it. “Nice, another dumpster diver” she though rolling her eyes, she turned to leave and accidentally kicked a bottle which flew against the wall and shattered. The pony from the dumpster instantly jumped out and looked at Nightrider, he was definitely a stallion, but didn’t look like one Nightrider ever saw. His mane and tail were a frizzled mess, they looked like they were once a brilliant green and yellow, but now looked like grayish green vomit, his eyes were blood red and his mouth was foamy. He looked like he was a third of the weight he was supposed to be, he was almost skin and bone, he looked terrifying, but the worst was the expression on his face, it looked like a mixture of shock, rage and starvation, he looked wild, almost feral. He glared at Nightrider for a while, and Nightrider stared back, almost frozen, she finally spoke.

“Uh… can I help you?”

The stallion hissed in a horrible, unnatural way and lunged at Nightrider who quickly jumped out of the way. The stallion turned around, unnaturally quickly for his size and age, and chased Nightrider up the alley. Nightrider was fast and agile but the stallion chasing her was a skilled opponent, they both effortlessly ducked around corners and jumped over trash cans and dumpsters. “What the hay is up with this freak?!” she thought. Nightrider jumped up a fire escape, then quickly did a flip kick off and landed it on the stallion’s face. He collapsed on the ground, groaned then broke into a coughing fit, and Nightrider ran. She leapt up fire escapes and dumpsters to the roof of a building and stopped, the stallion was no longer chasing her. Nightrider calmed down as she realized the stallion did not know where she was, and she slowly and quietly made her way to the building’s edge and peered down. She saw the stallion still collapsed on the ground, no longer coughing, he was now twitching and jerking about in small slight yet irregular ways. Nightrider wanted to go down and help, but was worried she would get attacked again, so she stood and watched. The stallion kept jerking and twitching, making sickening screeching sounds, and Nightrider grew worried, she finally decided to face fear and go back down to him. As Nightrider made her way back to the stallion, he stopped jerking, and just lay there. Now Nightrider was concerned, she rushed over to him, his body felt alarmingly cold, and she could feel no pulse. He was dead.

“No.” Nightrider said “No! NO!” tears filled her eyes and she began to sob. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with feelings of dread and horrifying flashbacks as she sobbed. This pony had just died in front of her, she had seen death in all the evil she had grown up around, but this time she felt it was somehow her fault; she had let this stallion die. No, she killed had him. Nightrider cried and cried until she was gasping for air. Eventually she calmed down and stopped, though no longer crying she was still overwhelmed by dread. She looked again at the pony’s body. “I killed him” she thought “But he attacked me, and he was in this wild state. That could not have been natural.” Nightrider saw the red swollen mark on the stallion’s face her hoof had left when she kicked him to stop his pursuit. “Could I have killed him with that?” she thought, horrified by the thought. “It was self-defense, he attacked me” Nightrider thought of other times she had kicked other ponies, in her life as a vigilante, she was threatened before. One time she was trying to stop 2 ponies robbing an elderly mare, and they turned on her with unicorn magic and she had to duck and hit them both in the face, knocking them unconscious. Another time, she was cornered by two stallions, and, after some struggling, she managed to pull a dumpster over them so she could run for help. This time was no different, she was being attacked so she did what she needed to do. It was a matter of life and death, and she chose life. “But I didn’t aid him while he was suffering. That part is on me.” She thought to herself “I could have gotten help” but then she remembered all those times she could have done more for other ponies to help them. She looked at the body again, and then she couldn’t look at it anymore. She wanted to go get help, but she did kick him, what if someone thought she did this deliberately? Nightrider had to run, she had to get away from this area, she needed to think, to just get away.

Nightrider made her way across town and finally settled in a quiet courtyard with no one around. It was getting late and she needed to rest, she was still shocked from her experience with the wild stallion and all the sick and dying ponies she saw in the hospital. As Nightrider drifted off, she pondered the day’s events, she tried to piece them together and look at them from other angles. “Could they all somehow be related?” she pondered, “I let him die!” was her final thought, before she drifted into a deep sleep of powerful dreams.

Author's Note

This story has been in development since about 2018 and I'm only just beginning to post it. There is ZERO intended reference to or ideas drawn from the current global situation.

Nightrider is an earth pony OC I created early in my artistic endeavors. in the cover at, she is the purple pony on the cliff. She is intended to be an orphaned homeless mare who made her own path on the criminal underworld of society, learning survival the hard way and becoming a resilient, powerful force. A stone cold night vigilante who undergoes self discovery and the making of new friends (Other OC's)

Chapter 2: The Run

Nightrider was awoken by a pair of security guards. One of them was a young unicorn mare, the other an older pegasus stallion.

“Get up miss, you need to leave this area” said the stallion, his female counterpart was using her magic to lock a gate at the far end of the courtyard, she had a pile full of safety and barricade equipment at her side.

“Please leave now” the pegasus said. “Alright, alright” Nightrider said, irritated. Her first thought was that they were telling her to leave as this might be private property, but then she noticed the barricade equipment.

“What’s going on?” Nightrider asked as she got up to leave.

“This area is now off limits to everypony” said the pegasus “landlords are encouraged to lock down all public areas on their property until further notice, this whole courtyard is now closed.”

“Lockdown until further notice” Nightrider thought. “This must be due to the sickness.”

Nightrider left the two ponies without another word. She walked out onto the street, it was nearly dark out. “How long have I slept?” she thought. Her thoughts usually kept her awake, but now they have knocked her right out. She looked around, the street looked unusually empty, and there were quite a few police officers about. 2 officers appeared to be questioning an elderly stallion in one direction, in another she swore she saw a paramedic cart leaving far in the distance. An officer made his way to Nightrider.

“Ma’am, I must request you get indoors, there has been a disturbance in the area, 3 ponies are in the hospital after an attack, you must leave this area, may I escort you home?”

Nightrider gulped, were they on to her?

“I’m fine on my own, thank you.” She said

“Alright, but you must go now then” the officer said, Nightrider thought he looked ever so slightly suspicious.

Back on a rooftop, where Nightrider felt most comfortable, she began pacing and trying to piece together everything that happened in the last 48 hours.

“Just a normal evening of kicking stallion ass and wallowing in the joy that is my disgusting existence, and then I see that sick old hag, I help her, I see the rest of those sick sorry folks, and boom! It explodes into a city wide pandemic, over freaking night! Oh ya and some random sick bastard gives me chase to the point I need to bucking kill him, now I feel damn awful about it?” Nightrider felt her anger rising.

“What the hell is even happening?!” she screamed, then instantly regretted it, she dropped low on the roof to avoid potentially being seen. She forced herself to calm down, this was self destructive.

“That stallion was not my fault. I was defending myself, and he was not normal, he was insane, belonged in St. Bridledale’s!”

She thought about all the sick ponies in the hospital, barely alive, and what Dr. Bigmane said about how unknown and unexpected this all was. She wondered if through some insane further coincidence the attack and the sickness were potentially related. Then she remembered what the police officer said to her.

“3 ponies in the hospital after an attack” she thought “Did he attack 3 others? Then he wasn’t dead!” Nightrider was suddenly hopeful "I need to get back to the hospital”

Nightrider galloped through back alleys to avoid police to make her way back to the hospital, she came up to the front door which was now guarded by two security guards in respirator masks, one of them turned to Nightrider “Sick or visiting?” he said

“Uh… visiting” she said

“Go in, make a right and check in, the doctors will guide you through the process” the guard said.

Nightrider went in, the emergency was to the left, but the registration was to the right, there was a lineup of other ponies in masks and guards everywhere. Nightrider made her way to the waiting area in the center, pretending to want to sit down, then she dashed into the emergency room when no one was looking. The room was packed, cots and wards were full of sick ponies, almost all of them discolored, many on ventilators. Temporary stretchers lined the middle of the halls filled with more sick, the room was clearly over capacity. Nurses trotted around all over tending to the sick, then Nightrider heard a loud shriek from one of the wards that had the curtains closed. She snuck over and peaked in, there was a police officer inside wearing a mask, and a mare was restrained to the bed. She looked in a manic state, she was grey, almost black in color and her eyes were red, she looked identical to the stallion that attacked her. She kept screaming and yanking on her restraints, her mouth was covered by what looked like a metal mask which was locked onto her, likely to prevent her biting anyone. Then a doctor injected something into her side and the mare stopped moving, as if no longer alive.

“This sedative won’t last too long, we must get her into a secure area while we prepare her treatment.” Nightrider heard the doctor saying.

The doctor moved to open the curtain and Nightrider dashed behind a cart. To her left the door burst open and two nurses wheeled in a stretcher where a young Pegasus colt was lying and screaming hysterically.

“She bit off my wing! My wing!! I’m missing one of my wings! That monster, it hurts! It hurts so much!!” a blood soaked bandage was covering what looked like where one of his wings was. Nightrider had seen enough, in one day this Emergency room had turned into pure chaos. She dashed out the door at her first opportunity and fled the hospital at full gallop, tears flooding her eyes.

Once she had overcome the shock of what she had seen in the emergency room, she calmed down. Some of her questions had been answered, the stallion attack was indeed unnatural and may be a result of whatever was going on, other ponies were definitely sick from the same thing she saw in the old mare, and she did not kill the stallion, atleast she thought she didn’t “It was whatever that sickness is” she reassured herself though doubt still lingered in her mind. But the big question still remained, what is happening to everypony? She was now certain this was not a coincidence. She wanted answers. She wanted to help. She thought about what she saw growing up.

“Everypony now sees what I saw all those years, pain, suffering, sadness, hopelessness. I need to do something, I can’t just sit and watch, I need to make my life count for something good!” she told herself. “I pretended not to care for too long…”

“Dr. Bigmane, he seemed to know what’s up, but he must be in Ponyville by now seeing his brother. Maybe I could help him.” She thought. “But how in the wide, wide world of Equestria am I going to get to Ponyville?” Nightrider had never left this half of Manehattan, let alone the city itself, she had no money or any knowledge of how to travel around Equestria. “There is a way, I will get to Ponyville, I will figure out this mess and help escalate this to the princess, she needs to act instead of just washing her plot in that damned castle!”

Nightrider always saw taxi carts being pulled about the city, but she had no bits, and she knew the taxi ponies in Manehattan and the temper they had. She had to think of something, moreover she needed to find a cab first. She made her way to the main street, but she couldn’t see any. Usually the streets were lined with them, but now she couldn’t even find one. “Typical, right when I need one” she groaned. She ran about the intersections until she finally found one stopped on the side of the road.

She ran up to the driver “How do I get to Ponyville?” she asked

The driver pushed his hat off his face and quirked an unimpressed eye up at Nightrider “The train station. Duh.” He said

Not taken aback Nightrider went on “How much for a ride there?”

“Fifty bits” He said

“Fifty!” Nightrider thought “I never even had one” she thought for a while.

“I have no money, but I need to get to the train station, maybe I could give you something else for you trouble?” she said in a flirty voice, batting her eyelashes.

The driver raised an eyebrow. “Price is firm, but I’ll hear what you got to offer”

“What ever you want, big guy” She tried to sound as romantic as possible “Help a lady out, and she will reward a big strong man like you with whatever you want” Nightrider hoped this would work. She would get a ride then when they arrive, she would quickly ditch this gross driver.

The driver seemed interested. “Let’s go now, we’ll see how ya do. If I’m impressed maybe I’ll give you a ride.” Nightrider was irritated but tried to play it cool. “How about you drive me first and I’ll go above and beyond for you?”

The driver smirked “Yeah right. You think you’re the first to try and swindle me? I got a living to make. Get lost you filthy slut, I ain’t interested in your worn out burlap sack of an ass!”

Now Nightrider was mad, she couldn’t hold back. “What the fuck did you say to me?!” she dove at his legs and knocked his legs out from under him, then kicked his chin as he fell forward, then she wrapped her front legs around his neck in a choke hold, all before the driver could even react.

“Take it back asshole!” she yelled in his ear.

“Ah! Alright, alright, I’m sorry woman!” he said. Nightrider tightened her grip. “

“You will take me to the train station, now in record time, or I swear to Celestia I will disable you in ways you can’t imagine!”

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!” the driver squealed.

Nightrider jumped into the cart. “Mush” she said. The driver wasted no time.

At the train station, Nightrider got out of the cart, she turned to the driver. “Thanks. So which train is to Ponyville?” she asked

“The Friendship Express leaves twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the afternoon. If you hurry, you should be able to catch the morning ride.” The driver said “And lucky for you, the Friendship Express is free.” The driver grimaced at the last word. But he looked back at Nightrider and his expression dropped “You look like you’re in a hurry kid” he said “what’s in Ponyville? If I can ask”

Nightrider sighed “just some personal stuff. It’s important to me.” She said

“Yeah, I feel you” the driver said “I’m sorry I was such a jerk earlier, it’s just they are closing down the cab routes due to some sort of plague, I heard its pretty rough, but this is my only income.” He said. “I always been pushed around ya know, and well, when I think I can stand a chance, I try to show people that they shouldn’t mess with me. It usually fails, as you saw earlier.”

Nightrider felt taken aback. Was this pony being compassionate with her? She rarely saw that from anypony in her neighborhood. “don’t worry about it” she replied “I get it”

Nightrider went on “I think I can help with whatever plague is going around, that’s why I’m going to Ponyville, to try to make a difference.”

The driver looked at her and smiled “Well, good luck kid, I hope you can do it.” And he turned to leave.

Nightrider went into the station; she saw the sign for Ponyville “Friendship Express departing for Ponyville in 45 minutes”

Nightrider boarded the train, and she felt a strange feeling. She was excited, she was travling for her first time.

She took a seat “I can do this” she thought to hersef. “I will find Dr. Bigmane and help him and his brother. Maybe even the princess.” She looked out the window and the loudspeaker went. “Welcome aboard Fillies and Gentlecolts, the train will be departing for Ponyville in approximately 15 minutes”

“I won’t stand by and watch as everypony sees all that I have grown up seeing. This world deserves better than that.” She thought. “Life is wonderful, and I think I know why.”

Chapter 3: The Rumours

It was late afternoon by the time the Friendship Express reached Ponyville, the loudspeaker alerted them that this would be the final stop and that everyone was to get off. Nightrider made her way off the train onto the station platform, then out the entrance, where two security guards were standing, both looked serious and seemed to be surveying the crowd. The train station exited into the main square, this was downtown Ponyville. Nightrider took it all in, closed her eyes and smiled.

“Its so much smaller than Manehattan, but theres an aura of friendliness in the air” she said to herself

“But no time for sights, I need to find Dr. Bigmane.” And she went off to look for the hospital.

She went up to a nearby flower stall “Excuse me, which way is the nearest hospital?”

The salespony looked up “Well honey, the only hospital in Ponyville is Ponyville General just up the street that way” and she pointed. “Thanks” Nightrider said and hurried off.

She made it to the hospital and went in, it was much smaller than the hospital in Manehattan, Nightrider tried to look for signs of the sickness. She saw 2 separate ponies who appeared in pain and one other was coughing, but none were discolored. Nightrider was almost pleased, until the front door burst open behind her and she heard the voice of a hysterical mare.

“Out of my way! I need a doctor now! Please help!!” a cream colored mare with a pink and dark blue mane was hurrying in supporting the weight of another pony, this one was a light green unicorn with turquoise and white in her mane and tail, they both looked about Nightrider’s age. The green unicorn looked very unwell, discoloration was rapidly spreading throughout her body. They hurried up to the counter and nurses quickly came out and took the unicorn into the emergency room, they told her partner to wait outside. “I need to see my Lyra, please let me in!” the cream coloured pony said to the nurse, but the nurse simply waved her off and went in after the unicorn. The cream colored pony sat down on a chair and began to sob. Nightrider wanted to know what was going on and this pony could have information, so she sat down beside her.

“Excuse me?” she said to the crying pony

*sniff* “Wha..?” she replied looking up at Nightrider.

“what happened to your friend?” she asked. For a second it appeared she would break into uncontrollable sob again, but instead she took a deep breath and spoke.

“She was fine yesterday, we got up together, made breakfast together, went about our day together just like always. But then, last night she began complaining about chest pain, and began to cough pretty badly. Then this morning she awoke with a terrible headache and said it was her horn. She couldn’t use any magic and that’s when her color started to fade. I got worried, she insisted that she was fine and that she only needs some medicine. We went to go see a friend for some, but on the way she collapsed. I panicked and brought her here.” The pony’s eyes filled with tears again, and she squeezed her eyes shut, she was obviously very troubled and was trying to stay calm and strong in the moment.

Nightrider felt compassion towards this pony; she felt empathy, something that she had not felt in a very long time.

“What’s your name?” she asked

“I’m Bonbon” she said. “and my best friend is Lyra” she said choking back a sob as she said her name. “Lyra is more than my friend, she is my world. I love her so much, and I am so scared for her. I hope nothing is wrong with her. I don’t think I could take it if something were to happen…” her voice trailed off and she began to cry again. Nightrider felt so empathetic to Bonbon, as if she felt every bit of her pain. Why was she feeling like this with this pony she barely knew? She put a hoof around Bonbon, and to her surprise, Bonbon buried herself into Nightrider’s embrace and began sobbing harder than ever. Nightrider had never had this happen to her, she had no idea what to say, so she just said nothing and held the distressed mare.

Eventually Bonbon stopped crying. *sniff* “thank you. I’m so sorry you had to see that” Bonbon began to blush

“Oh don’t worry” Nightrider said “I have seen much worse

Bonbon smiled “Thanks so much for hearing me out, but I don’t think I have ever met you, what’s your name? have I seen you around Ponyville before?”

Nightrider shifted “Actually, you don’t know me. I’m from Manehattan, and you can call me Nightrider”

Bonbon looked surprised “ooh Manehattan, impressive. And Nightrider is a pretty name”

Nightrider smiled, no one has ever called her name pretty, in fact no one even knew her name up to now. Nightrider wasn’t her real name, but Nightrider was the only name she had ever known. She lost her parents a long time ago and the orphanage from her first memories had no record of her name. After escaping the orphanage from the bullies and the mean foster mare, she gave herself the name Nightrider, for she rode in the night fending for herself and trusting nopony. Now here she was supporting a total stranger in a total strange part of Equestria, and instead of try to hurt her for caring, this pony returned her with affection. Nightrider was positively amazed.

“So what are you doing here in Ponyville from Manehattan?” Bonbon asked

‘”There have been many cases of a sickness there similar to what Lyra has” Nightrider noticed Bonbon grimace at the words “Lyra” and “sickness” in the same sentence, she made a note to tread more carefully. “I have seen a few more… interesting cases and I am here to investigate.” Bonbon seemed interested and confused “Why investigate here? Ponyville is tiny, there is nothing significant here, other than a strong presence of the magic of friendship of course” Bonbon seemed to glow when saying the word friendship.

“I’m looking for a pony called Dr. Bigmane, that’s actually why I’m here at this hospital”

Before Bonbon could answer a nurse walked in, “My name is Nurse Redheart” she looked at Bonbon then to Nightrider. “Is she with you?” the nurse asked Bonbon. “Uh, yes. Yes she is” said Bonbon “What’s wrong with my Lyra?”

The nurse sat down and began to explain “Ms. Heartstrings has contracted something, we have seen it only for our first time yesterday, and we have heard it being reported all around Equestria. Its an infection of some sort, but we still don’t know its nature. Ponyville General isn’t equipped for disease research, but we have a resident doctor from Canterlot who is in every week, he left yesterday back to Canterlot with a sample retrieved from a case. Ponyville has now 3 cases of whatever is going around. Our hope is Dr. Samson returns soon with information on how to treat this”

Nightrider jumped up suddenly “Nurse Redheart, was a Dr. Bigmane in here recently?”

Nurse Redheart looked perplexed “Dr. Bigmane? Here? He is Manehattan’s most celebrated surgeon and an expert on infectious disease, what would he want here? Surely I would know if he were coming, but I know nothing of that. Pity, he is quite the looker” Nurse Redheart blushed ever so slightly

Nightrider explained how Dr. Bigmane was here to see his brother Dr. Whooves and they would go to Canterlot escalate the matter.

I am sorry to disappoint you my dear, but Dr. Bigmane was never here, you could try to check in with his brother though” Nurse Redheart explained

“Where can I find him?” Nightrider asked

“His house is not far from here, just up the street and to the left, towards Sweet Apple Acres” Bonbon explained.

Nightrider got up to leave “Thank you both, you have been very helpful” she said to both of them

“We in Ponyville help our friends, always” Nurse Redheart said with a smile, and Bonbon came up to Nightrider and wrapped her hooves around her in a hug then looked into Nightrider’s eyes “Good luck, help me save my Lyra” she said

“I will try Bonbon” Nightrider replied with a smile, then she quickly left.

As she made her way towards Dr. Whooves’ house she kept thinking about how friendly Bonbon was, Nightrider had never experienced such compassion in her life. Then she thought about what Nurse Redheart said about how everyone in Ponyville helps their friends, always. “Am I a friend?” she asked herself. “who knows” she thought and kept going.

The sun was low in the sky by the time she reached what she thought had to be Dr. Whooves’ house. It was large and seemed slightly unkempt. Nightrider knocked, but there was no answer. “Uh, hello?” she called and knocked again. The door opened, but there wasn’t anyone there who would have opened it. Nightrider was anxious, she had been waiting for this moment, but was anyone even home? She needed to find what she came here for, so she went in, maybe somepony was home.

As Nightrider made her way through the house, she heard what sounded like a pony making rumbling sounds, like some engine. She went down some stairs toward the sound “Hello?” she called “Dr. Whooves? Are you here?” no answer.

At the bottom of the stairs she found a large laboratory with various object hanging from the ceiling, in one of the objects was a grey pegasus pony with a yellow mane, she appeared to be pretending to fly what looked like a giant flying machine.

“Excuse me?” she said and the pony immediately jumped out in surprise. She saw Nightrider and fluttered down to where she was standing and looked at her. “Hi” she said. She looked pretty badly crosseyed and had an unusually big smile on her face.

“Uhhh hi” Nightrider replied “I’m looking for Dr. Whooves, is he here?”

The pegasus pony shook her head “No he left earlier today, his brother from Manehattan was here, they said they were going away to Canterlot about some plague thingy going on, a lot of ponies have been hurt they said, I was told to stay here, protect the lab and not go outside or let anypony in.”

She then gasped “Oh no! you’re in here! I failed! I let somepony in”

“Oh I’m sorry for just barging in” Nightrider stepped back “but I really needed to speak to Dr. Whooves and his brother, I am also investigating the plague.” Nightrider said “I will leave if Dr. Whooves isn’t here, but I need some more information, is there anything more you could tell me?”

“The pegasus rubbed her head “No sorry, that’s all I know, but I can give you muffins, will that help?”

Nightrider frowned “Muffins? No those won’t help, I need actual information about what the hay is going on”

The pegasus looked hurt, and Nightrider sighed “Look, I’m sorry, but I’m here all the way from Manehattan investigating this thing, I need somepony to talk to, to help me understand more. Do you know anyone in town who can help?”

The pegasus rubbed her head again “Um, you could try talking to Princess Twilight and her friends, they always know everything. Twilight is here from Canterlot to see her friends, I saw them heading toward the Everfree Forest, probably going to Zecora’s”

Now Nightrider’s head was buzzing “Who is Zecora? And where is the Everfree Forest?”

“Zecora is a herbalist who lives in the Everfree Forest, she is very good with medicines and potions, Twilight and her friends frequently visit her for natural medical advice” said the pegasus “The forest is just beyond Ponyville, past Fluttershy’s cottage, but it can get kinda scary at night.

“Scary” Nightrider thought with a slight grin “Finally, something interesting”

“Thank you, you have been so helpful” Nightrider said “I will try to find all the information I can and hopefully I can meet Dr. Whooves too.”

“No problem” said the pony “Whats your name by the way?”

“I’m Nightrider” Nightrider Said with a half smile, then her hoof was being violently shaken by the pegasus “I’m Derpy” she said “Its so nice to meet you new friend, You sure you don’t want a muffin?”

Nightrider sighed then smiled “Actually, I would love a muffin”

On the way out of the house Nightrider thought about Derpy and her muffins.

“Those were so delicious” she thought “Why is everyone so friendly here? Is this really what a small town is like?” Nightrider felt she had much more questions, much deeper ones, but she tried to focus on the task at hand. “To Zecora’s” she thought. “With any luck the Princess might actually be there.”

Nightrider came up to a mossy, quaint little cottage. There were animals chasing eachother in the front yard and a large garden containing fruits and vegetables dominated the small field beside the cottage. “This must be the cottage of the Fluttershy that Derpy talked about” Nightrider thought, just beyond the cottage was the forest “Bingo” Nightrider said to herself. The sun was setting beyond the treetops, and the forest looked dark, but Nightrider was not afraid of the dark at all, she was always ready for an attack or ambush. Growing up on the streets teaches you to maintain constant vigilance, and Nightrider was a master of this. She effortlessly ducked under and hopped over the roots and branches that littered the forest floor, she thought she saw a light up ahead, so she moved a bit quicker. Then she heard a crunch, and then a howl. She picked up the pace moving toward the light, but a large dark figure suddenly blocked her path. As the creature moved closer, Nightrider saw it had a large mouth with sharp teeth and blazing eyes, it snarled at her and Nightider ran. She was being chased by some creature twice her size, she tried not to panic but instead to strategize. “Hes obviously big, and agile, but is he smart?” she thought. Nightrider feinted to one side and the creature chasing took the bait, it lunged in her direction, but Nightrider was faster, she ducked out of the way and countered the creature with a kick in what she thought was its face, and she heard a loud howl, then the sound of the creature tripping and falling. Another howl, and now it was as if the creature was trying to get away on its belly. Nightrider didn’t stop to investigate, she ran back towards the light and came across a small hut.

“this has to be it, who else would be crazy enough to live in this place?”

As Nightrider made her way closer she heard voices, a soft and dreamy female voice, and an equally dreamy yet harsher male voice. The male spoke in an accent Nightrider had never heard.

Nightrider knocked on the door, and she was greeted by a zebra.

“Um, hello, I’m looking for Zecora” she said uneasily

“If it is Zecora you seek, you are in luck, for you see, she is me” the zebra said with a smile in her dreamy rhyming voice Nightrider was not familiar with.

Nightrider was confused “So… you’re Zecora then?” she asked, even more uneasy. The zebra smiled and nodded, Nightrider had apparently found her.

“Ok then, I’m Nightrider, I’m looking for Twilight Sparkle and her friends, apparently they can answer some questions I have”

“Ah my child, don’t despair, Princess Twilight is no longer here, not long ago did you miss them, back to Ponyville did they leave when”

Nightrider frowned and rolled her eyes “Well that’s just bucking great” she said “I just left Ponyville, they said she would be here, but I just missed her, typical” Nightrider dropped herself on a chair nearby and Zecora came up beside her.

“I sense frustration in you my dear, tell me what it is you fear?”

Nightrider rolled her eyes again and explained to Zecora why she came to Ponyville to investigate some plague even she didn’t understand.

“But im getting very little information here, I want to get to the bottom of what the hay is going on, ponies are barely clinging to life here!”

Zecora looked at Nightrider “I see. Come in child” Zecora said dreamily.

Nightrider followed the zebra into the hut. She was instantly overwhelmed by the smells of various herbs and liquids in the small room.

“Waa gwaa me sistah, oo you zeen?” The male voice Nightrider had heard boomed behind her, She turned to see a stallion standing by a window, leaning and smiling at her.

“Uhh what?” Nightrider asked, very confused as to what the stallion said

“Waa gwaa?” He repeated “Ow you doing?” The stallion had a medium brown coat, and a red, yellow and green mane and tail, all braided into thick dreadlocks. He smiled warmly and his eyes drooped slightly.

“I’m fine” Nightrider said uneasily

“This is Nightrider, she seeks what the princess seeks” Zecora told the stallion. She then turned to Nightrider “This is my friend Jamal, he is a herbalist like myself.”

“Rasta” The stallion said in apparent greeting . He had something in his mouth that looked like a cigarette, but it smelled comepletely different. Nightrider recognized it immediately and rolled her eyes.

“Somepony likes to party” She thought. Nightrider was no stranger to drugs, growing up on Manehattan’s filthy streets she would see recreational pot smokers all the time, as well as those ruining their lives with more potent substance. Nightrider had a distaste for all substance, as she couldn’t escape the evils they created around her growing up.

Zecora interrupted her thoughts “What you and the Princess search for are one and the same. Come, let me show you whom she placed under my care.”

Zecora took Nightrider back into the bedroom of her hut, in the bed lay a creature that Nightrider had never seen before. It had the head of a goat, the body of a serpent and each limb was a different animal.

“This is Discord, the lord of chaos, a great ally to Princess Twilight during the Great Battle of Equestria, his magic is far more powerful than any you have ever seen, for he is a draconiquis.”

Nightrider looked at this so called “Powerful creature” she noticed a slight blue tinge to his body, she moved closer to him and heard that his breathing was slow and labored. She looked at Zecora “He’s barely alive” she said.

“He is unwell and has but little time, the treatment I have tried has yielded little hope. Brought him to me, Twilight did in hope that I could get him back up.” Zecora said “But it is little use, for even I do not know what is troubling his soul. Expert I am in magical ailment, but this is magic that is darker than even I can comprehend”

Nightrider looked at Discord lying motionless on the bed. “You said Twilight and her friends brought him to you? What did she say? How did she find him like this?”

“Princess Twilight asked me to tell no one, but child I sense you are a dependable young one determined to do the right thing.” And Zecora began to explain.

“All I know child is that when Discord presented himself in Canterlot to Twilight he was unwell, the item he was carrying was full of dark magic, our best guess is somehow this item attacked Discord and infected him with a magical plague, none of my herbs and potions have been effective so it must be the darkest of magic. Furthermore, other creatures have been acting out of ordinary. Timberwolves have been especially savage lately, that is not normal, and lest we forget the sick ponies throughout the land”

Nightrider's head was spinning. "Hold up" she said "you're saying that the thing this Discord was carrying caused this?"

"It appears so, young one" Zecora replied.

"But how the hay did everypony else get infected if Discord was the only one with the item?" Nightrider asked, perplexed.

"That is the question our fair Princess seeks the answer to, as she left Discord with me to be cared to" Zecora replied with an odd smile.

Nightrider felt a rush of more questions, none of this made any sense. "A dark magic item attacks this hybrid chaos abomination, and next thing you know the whole world spins out?" She thought to herself.

"When did Discord first feel sick? And where is this magical item?" She asked Zecora with more fury than she intended.

"That I cannot say, all I know is he was brought here just this morning, and his condition appears to be the cause of the darkest of magic" Zecora said in an almost mystifying voice. Nightrider was reluctant to trust this Zecora, she was suspicious of her and the way she talked, acted and lived. "Who the buck lives in a decaying hut in the middle of a forest full of homicidal wolf things?! With a carefree pothead like that for a roommate?" She thought to herself.

"If it is more answers you seek, I fear I cannot help, to the princess you must speak, if she has not already left."

"What do you mean left?" Nightrider asked, again with more fury than she intended.

"She is to return to Canterlot, running a kingdom is no easy task, especially in crisis."

Nightrider felt taken aback at how Princess Twilight was abruptly leaving, as if she had to wait for Nightrider to talk to, but Nightrider remembered the reason she came to Ponyville in the first place.

"Do you know where I can find a Dr. Whooves?" Nightrider asked Zecora.

"The good doctor and his brother are returning to Canterlot with the fair princess, young one. With this health crisis, the three of them have much to get done."

"But I thought you just said this plague was magical, so doctors are skilled in magic now?" Nightrider was feeling her temper flicker, she did her best to keep it contained. She did not want to lose it on this zebra, but she also felt a suspicion toward both her and the princess, ever so slight, she could not explain it.

"Dear child, it is time for you to go, for the answers to your questions I do not know, Princess Twilight Sparkle is an old friend, she confided in me a trust that I would do my best to look after Discord. If you want more help might I suggest speaking to one of her friends in Ponyville?"

Nightrider felt her suspicion rising, and that was also dragging her temper up. "What the hay is this freaky zebra hiding with her rhyming words and mysterious tone?" She thought to herself.

"I sense your frustration young one, I suggest you speak to one of the royal friends, perhaps they can help clear the confusion in you that I sense."

"She wants to send me away, she's hiding something, I know it" Nightrider tried to shift her thoughts "calm down girl, go quietly and sort it out, don't flip shit on this one, save it for someone who deserves it" she told herself trying to calm her rising anger.

"Who are these so-called royal friends?" Nightrider asked, trying very hard to keep sarcasm out of her voice.

"In Ponyville you seek the compassion of Fluttershy, the grace of Rarity, the passion of Rainbow Dash, the energy if Pinkie Pie and the strength of Applejack"

Nightrider's head pounded at what she had heard. "Are these ponies or desserts she just said?" Nightrider wondered "I’m sure those are their names, why not? They all live in that bubbly, friend-loving town that reeks of candy and roses" Nightrider could feel her frustration and anger mixing. She could not stand one more second in this hut with this zebra. She just knew there was something wrong here.

"Thanks for your help" Nightrider said to Zecora, trying not to grit her teeth as she said it.

"May I offer some spiced tea?" Zecora asked, but Nightrider just turned and left, she needed to get out of there, and at the mention of spiced tea she just wanted to kick something.

“Ow bout a joint, zeen?” the stallion offered. Nightrider just barged out of the hut.

Nightrider made her way back the way she came out of the forest. Despite never being in a forest she found where she had came in with ease. She was always a good navigator, a skill she developed while constantly staying on the move in order to survive, Nightrider had trained herself to examine every detail on her way so she would never get lost. On the way she tried to sort out her ever racing thoughts.

"So Discord over there gets sick from some dark magic artifact, Twilight brings him here to a weird zebra who is obsessed with chokers, not a doctor but a herbalist, because she knows its some magical something-or-other, all while being closely followed by her clique of friends. She then turns tail and leaves for the safety of home with the two best doctors in Equestria, with out her loyal friends? And where is this supposed magical item? Something stinks in all of this!"

Suddenly Nightrider was suspicious of everything that had happened so far in Ponyville. Bonbon in the hospital, Derpy at Dr. Whooves house, and Zecora in the forest. They all had a few things in common. "All were extremely open and friendly with me, all knew quite a bit of useful information, and all have a personal connection in some way or another with either Twilight or her friends." Nightrider said to herself, she felt her suspicion fuel her anger, but tried to be reasonable. "I'll find these friends, try to talk to them and get some info, surely they know something, running around with the princess so much, at the very least help me clear some suspicions."

Nightrider could see the outline of houses in the distance "where the buck am I going to find these friends?" She wondered. She then thought of the house she passed on the way to the forest, "Fluttershy's cottage" Bonbon had told her. "She must know where to find the rest of them" Nightrider thought.

As Nightrider got closer to the town she could make out ponies happily going about their business in Ponyville. "Why are they so damn happy all the time? Don't they know some plague thing is going on?" She thought "and why be so happy all the time anyway?" She thought of how depressing Manehattan was, and Nightrider thought that was the norm for all cities. All this friendliness made her uneasy and only fueled her suspicion. She tried to be rational, but it was all happening too fast, rationality only confused her.

At last she reached the entrance to Fluttershy’s front yard. There was a gate with a sign that read "Welcome! Friendship is Magic!" Nightrider grimaced "pshh" she snorted "friendship" she said rolling her eyes. She was beginning to hate the term more and more the more she spent in this town. "This Fluttershy better have answers for me, or I'll show her some friendship" Nightrider said as she made her way to the front door.